Redemption
by BKLYNDREAM
Summary: Leon wants revenge. Jake wants redemption. The plan? Assembling a team of the best to ever handle zombies and a grenade launcher and ending the terror off the record. No BSAA, no government. Just soldiers who have nothing but revenge on their minds. Jake will stop at nothing to reunite with his partner, but he'll need all the help he can get.
1. Kill Sin

**_Author's Note: This is a mixture of my previous fictions- 'The Anarchy' and 'Dance with the Devil'. After playing and completing Resident Evil 6, I came up with a much better idea so I've decided to fuse them all to create what I hope to be a much better masterpiece._**

**_This fiction contains explicit sexual contact, mature language and suggestive themes. Please read with discretion. I do not own Resident Evil or Capcom, but my character ( Revelle) is my own creation. Enjoy and please review my work, I openly accept any and all suggestions. It helps me learn and grow as a writer._**

_**"**__**In self-defense and in defense of the innocent, cowardice is the only sin."**__**  
**__**― **__**Dean Koontz**_

Chapter I: Kill Sin

When Chris Redfield entered his home, he found his girlfriend and longtime partner standing in the middle of the kitchen. He never removed his shoes, or tossed his keys on the coffee table. He would head straight thorough the house until he looked into the only brown eyes that made him swoon. But today was different. There was an uneasy aura in the air, one that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on edge.

"Leon Kennedy will be here in 10 minutes…Chris something's wrong."

"Kennedy?"

"He wouldn't explain anything," She continued, her eyes locked on him as he sauntered around the tiled floors undoing his holster and glaring into cupboards and refrigerators "I told him I didn't know what time you'd be home. He didn't care. He said he would wait however long.."

Chris smiled and walked over to her, wrapping her in his arms. She wore nothing else but his old jersey and her hair cascaded over her shoulders. Four years ago she never thought things would play out the way it did. But sometimes it felt like he smiled at her deepest insecurities and laughed at the things that made her want to slit her own throat. The tragedies of what she went through before he and Sheva Alomar rescued her never ceased to plague her mind. It was the air she breathed, it was in the food she ate, it was the unholy water that covered her every morning as she washed herself. Her nights were no stranger to cold sweats, abrupt screams, and insomnia. Chris comforted her as best as he could, but he assumed her symptoms were common with the rest of the ones who had the title of 'survivor' to the bio terrorism of Umbrella Corporation. He assumed it platonic and occasional. Jill did her best, therefore, to keep it a secret. That her nightmares prior to being abducted by Wesker was fairytales compared to now; they were suffocating. The sexual trances, the brainwashing, the blood on her hands from innocent civilians. She killed countless children, families, elders for this man who held her conscious psyche in a body that no longer belonged to her. It was a nightmare each day.

And Chris came back for her. Yes, true. But the demonic blackness that engulfed her vision for any type of happiness in the future. The darkness scared her, and she jumped at awkward noises. This new person was never her, her mental strength had disappeared, dissipated after so much effort went into rebelling against the mind control and its aftermath. She lost her confidence; and when Chris Redfield took her into his home, opened his heart up to her, she sought him out to be the one to bring it back. To touch her in every single place and crevice of her curves, like a real man touches a real women. To crawl up into her deepest part and release as much light as he possibly could muster up, to annihilate all the darkness that had been there before. He opened up his shelter and life to her, so she wouldn't feel lonely as she tried to piece her life back together.

He inspired sundresses, nights filled with making love and interesting dates in the desperation to give her back a life. One where she would smile and make decisions of her own. Chris knew she had lost all hope going through months of a human's worst nightmare. So when he kissed her ample breasts after making love to her until she fell asleep, or when he crept up behind her as she washed dishes at the sink, he always tried to console her with as much passion as possible. He didn't see as much horror as she had, but he felt the trauma when he looked in her eyes. Every day with her was a vow that he would never allow her to see those days again. Every second became a mission to achieve true peace.

She appreciated his efforts, she adored him for his loyalty to her. He tried tirelessly in between missions with the BSAA. His money was hers, he supplied her every need. He came home to her every night, he gave her keys to whatever vehicle she desired to go off and enjoy life. Their bond began as a partner, then grew as friends, and through bloodshed and rain blossomed into love. In his arms, she was all his. Whatever was left of her? She had nowhere else she would rather be. The most sanity she felt was with him, in a large house on the outskirts of the busy city of Chicago. Life seemed so much brighter, easier with her by his side, in a fight and in his bed.

Losing Piers Nivans and the rest of his squad hurt him tremendously, but having Jill by his side made living through all the aftermath bearable.

"Well whatever it is, you might want to go put some pants on. Secret agents don't always use doors as entrances and I don't want him to see your-"

"Chris, I'm serious. It has something to do with the dreams…" Jill cut in, flustered. She would be cracking up at her partner's humor but she couldn't get Leon's tone out of her head. She would be a fool to think the nightmare was over. Of course, evil was bound to rear its ugly head. Her right eye twitched as she felt her stomach curl up into difficult knots, and she found herself curling her fingers into the fabric of his white v neck. He shook his head and moved his mouth as if he was saying 'no'. He kissed her forehead just as a horn was heard beeping annoyingly from the window.

Jill frowned and crossed to the window, parting the heavy curtain to see a black Aston Martin park smoothly. She turned back to Chris and he gave her an encouraging smirk.

"Pants, please honey?" he reminded. Jill rolled her eyes and left.

When Chris opened the door, he immediately sized up the large built figure in his doorway. Leon Kennedy was no more than a cocky, pretty boy, but as much as Chris wanted to hate him…he couldn't. In another life, the two would've been the worst enemies, competing on anything that needed to be conquered. But things were different, and they both concluded in one another a 'comrade'. They were cut from the same cloth, two highly skilled protagonists that fought the sin that plagued them.

"Cunt." Leon greeted with a dull smirk.

"Boyscout." Chris responded, stepping aside so he could enter and lock the door.

Leon followed him to the living room and looked around before relaxing on a lazy boy, his posture remaining rigid and composed. This definitely wasn't the living space he was used to, and nothing compared to his spacious bachelor pad he owned in Washington D.C. It had a family type of vibe to it

He almost huffed at it, Chris was the type of man to be rolling in cash from military operations and not spend it like a rich man. Leon disagreed. He was going to live while he could, because every night out seemed like his last. Too bad Chris was just as stubborn as he was and would not change his ways for a jet set life. Perhaps it had something with being in a relationship.

"Something to drink?" Chris asked, entering the room with two beers. Leon flashed him a thumbs up and accepted it as Chris sat. The two looked at each other for a while before anyone spoke. The rookie cop's piercing, cold blue eyes were focused, and made it obvious he was eager to speak. Chris stared back, occasionally sipping from his bottle, leaning back and relaxing. His mind mentally assessed possible situations, the important, worst case scenario that would vindicate Leon S. Kennedy coming all the way to Chicago.

"So what's up? You got Jill in a craze."

"Are you and Sheva Alomar sure you 'did the job' when you were in South Africa?"

Chris glared at him. Leon was never one to beat around the bush but if he didn't know him anymore, he could've sworn he was trying to be disrespectful. The report filed by him and his partner was extensive in evidence, a thorough account of all events and information acclaimed while trapped in the nightmare of Wesker's last episode. His last episode. Chris and Sheva saw his demise, firsthand. Every hit, every bullet, every assault was to see the ringleader of the most threatening operation of bio-terrorism disintegrate. He was sure of his death, the anger and hatred he had for Albert Wesker surpassed any other level of emotion he ever possessed for anyone alive. Every time he saw the man's face, he was reminded of Jill's pain, and that fueled him to go mad.

"Would you come to my fucking house and disrespect me?" He responded lowly to the blonde haired man. Leon sighed and slid an envelope across the coffee table to him from his inside jacket pocket. He waited for Chris to open it before answering.

"Maybe the bastard has a twin who was separated at birth because those pictures are recent. They leaked from an unknown search, also enclosed are still frames from security cameras at a laboratory in Amsterdam. The reports are from two US officials who took the footage, released it to our base and were killed in an ambush shooting two hours later. Even though I have been off duty, I was immediately called in by the Secretary of Defense. At the bottom of the July 11th report, there's a list of targets, or destinations. I'm not sure…there's all encrypted in the messaging. Mongolia, Rhodes (Greece) and The United States is listed, right after Raccoon City, The Ark lay Mountains, the Antarctic, Spain Sheena Island, Spencer Rain, Russia and South Africa. What do all those places have in common?" Leon sighed and put his chin in the cradle of his calloused hand, and set his elbow on his knee. All the details was memorized. He spent all night studying the files, trying to cough up a good explanation to explain why the nightmare never just died. He watched Chris process the information, saw the holographic dots he connected one by one, his anxiety grew on his face. But his was anger that was more prevalent.

"How much time do we have?"

"Not long. Hunnigan and her team, as well as the Special Forces branch of the government are trying to decode all that presently. You know America doesn't do play nice with threats of terrorism…and everything is terrorism to them."

"What do you have in mind…concerning stopping them?"

"Want my honesty?"

"Of course." Leon lowered his eyes and peered at the ground. He bit his lip and shook his head, his heartbeat swayed in rhythm and he relaxed.

"Assembling a team of the best motherfuckers to ever handle zombies and a grenade launcher and ending this off the record. No BSAA, no government. Just people who have nothing but revenge on their minds."

"Kennedy-"

"None of us will ever be able to move on until this is finished for good. Not Claire, not you, not me, not Jill." he interjected coldly.

Chris let his words sink in, and affect him. The son of a bitch was right, and as much as he didn't want to admit it, it hung off of every syllable.

"I know you want her to live again. Free of demons. Free of bad memories that have nothing to do with being content with you. There are so many people to avenge. Perhaps that will help us move on as well. An eye for an eye…" Leon added in a hiss.

Sin for him was the only way of trying to compensate for the sin of Umbrella. It was the most excruciating feeling he ever experienced in his life and he was scared of the things he was capable of on his quest to stop the bad dreams and empty voids. He would carry out the mission with or without Chris for a chance to be a normal human being again.

"I'm in."

"Good. I know grabbing the other Redfield will be a breeze now."

Chris glanced back, to make sure they were the only two in the room before leaning forward and speaking so that only Leon could hear him.

"I don't even know where my sister is. She's off somewhere working alone. She never gives me her location. I think she's trying to find Steve."

Chris made his sister promise that she would check in with her.

"I want to end this so that she can only see me."

Leon nodded, lowering his voice as well "We all need this. I've been catching up on BSAA research files and it seems as though Jake and Sherry might be more important as an item than we thought."

"Sherry has been MIA for the last couple weeks and I was never that nice to Jake now was I... Wait, you mean you believe in this anti-virus thing?" Leon never struck him as the type to follow science.

"The last couple weeks? I think it's been a little longer. And yes I do believe it's possible to reverse any man-made virus," Leon replied calmly "A little birdie told me you're close with the doctor who's proposing the theory and writing all these thesis'…"

"Dr. Revelle? Yeah, her big brother and I were great friends." Chris nodded, feeling slightly sad as he remembered the ally he made some years ago.

Leon's eyes narrowed and he locked sight with Chris "I need to find the Doctor. I need to find out how true it is… making a serum that can freeze or reverse genetic mutation could change this entire war. She's either incredibly valuable or incredibly crazy."

"Liv is far from crazy. She is probably the most valuable weapon in the BSAA we have alive, and Jake and Sherry's genes are the key to proving just how powerful she is. I don't want her getting involved, she's already causing a lot of attention as it is.I've seen her experiments work and I can vouch for her, even though what she proposes sounds a little bit far-fetched."

Leon stood, he heard everything he needed to. Most of it just confirmed through conversation with Chris Redfield.

"I'll get the Doctor. We find Jake, get Sherry, see to it this serum works and then take down every single pharmaceutical plant one by one." Leon said gently, articulating every word.

"And you're assuming I'm with you on this?"

"I didn't come to meet with the head of the entire BSAA for nothing. Get me a date with the Doctor and I won't leave her side until every company is burned to the ground. I understand she isn't easy to find because of that pretty bounty on her head for the information she's been collecting from pharmaceuticals but no one will harm her if I am with her. It's time to end this for good and we have the chance to do it the right way. If we wait for the governments of this world to do it, our children and families don't stand a chance. We're the best chance this hell on earth has. But we have to work together." Leon responded. Chris rolled his eyes, he hated admitting that Leon was right but this time he had no other choice. He was even right about Liv and protecting her. Due to the fact that anyone that wanted to harm her was a bounty hunter or assassin, it would make sense that Leon felt comfortable taking the point on her safety because… his dirty little secret was that he was an assassin as well.

"Dr. Revelle is like a sister to me, Leon. If I ask her to do this, I have to trust that you won't turn around and try to collect—"

"I'm already a billionaire and kind of bored of killing humans just because they're into nuclear warfare. Another 3.6 means nothing. I won't harm a hair on her pretty head. We're going to uncover every piece of this fucked up story and bury everything." Leon snapped, cutting him off.

Chris threw his hands up "Okay! I trust you. Looks like it's settled then. I'll have to talk to the wife but-"

"Jill? If she wants you're kid to have a happy life she'll have to agree. I'm doing this with or without you, Chris."

They shook hands and kept talking quietly as Leon gathered himself to leave.

And so it was decided. The plan was set. The desire to kill sin.

Outside the doorway to the living room, Jill crumbled up against the cold wall. Silent tears flooded her cheeks and her insides felt hollow. The circulation of the blood in her toes ceased.

Her breathing pattern was gone. She was not prepared for what was about to happen.


	2. Mad Science

Chapter 2: Mad Science

* * *

**"What breaks in a moment may take years to mend."**

**Swedish Proverb quote**

* * *

He was just average in his opinion.

An ex-rookie cop and 'new school' federal agent…well maybe not exactly.

After Spain, and rescuing Ashley, he formally discharged from the service. He signed all the necessary papers, accepted all the wishes from his companions in the White House gracefully and attended the 'going away' party his comrades threw for him. The amount of older people, higher up in ranks, which showed him appreciation was flattering. His age was half of theirs and some change, it didn't make any sense.

He was many things they did and did not know. But to sum it all up in one word, he was a hero.

Leon couldn't take the closeness, especially not so fast. It was his first mission, and the only reason he was chosen was because of the critique on his prior experience in Raccoon City as a new cop. Obviously, he had a specialty in annihilating the type of _creature_ Ashley Graham was in tango with. He discharged quickly after completing his first task. He had a trust issue and the odds of him seeing his life play out were slim. Who didn't want to live a long life? Especially after the horror of that day with Claire Redfield, Leon wasn't too keen of having to deal with that sort of thing again.

It wasn't fear, it was distrust and low tolerance.

He was a bit cocky, and his attitude was unlike one that society came in contact with. People say the only thing positive about him was that he was badass at doing intense, solo missions. One man shows. That wasn't all the way negative, however, people just didn't _know _Leon. He locked the real him inside, after Raccoon City. A noble, protagonist ate him alive and he became this image of perfection. Friends became enemies, his personal life disintegrated into nothing, he was young and didn't really get to have fun. Being the obnoxious, stubborn man he grew into, that was not acceptable.

He lost his ability to trust in Raccoon City, and almost lost his life.

Leon could never keep a stable partner. It began with Ada, and Claire. Continued on after rescuing Ashley to Helena Harper and now after her recent betrayal, he was alone again. It all rounded back to Ada.

Ada Wong was all he could ever want in a woman at the moment he met her. His view would change as he continue to mature, but at the moment, she was air. Given the circumstances of blood sucking zombies surrounding them, creatures of every mutation hunting them down, it wasn't the time to fall in love. Love seemed non-existent in the world they were trapped in for that moment.

**_There was no getting out, there was only moving forward. Or die._**

He remember the younger, and determined Claire Redfield saying that to him behind gritted teeth and glaring at him. It was passionate, and out of the blue. Leon remembered cocking his head to the side at her, his brunette tresses falling into his eyes slightly. When he asked for an explanation, she shook her head furiously and she motioned for him to make a move after seriously making a decision. He muttered 'bi-polar' and sauntered past him, and she stuck her tongue out. They didn't speak on it again after that night, but Leon Kennedy will never get the sound of her agitated, militant heels hitting the concrete, out of his head. He thought about it when he needed an honest laugh, or when he wanted to get turned on by a stripper that just wasn't 'doing it' for him.

But Ada, she ruined him. She was completely, utterly, **_seriously_** a liar. The list of things she did that was not even acceptable for a whimsical, naïve young man to get hit with, was a million pages long.

This was his opinion after his night with Claire fighting to survive, he thought about his life one night and laid everything on the table.

Ada lied.

He fell in love with her.

Ada deceived and played with his heart. She tried to kill him…on multiple occasions. She _swindled _him. Think about it, she wasn't who she said she was from the beginning, that was obvious when Leon found out she was alive after Raccoon City. She died in his arms, physically! She was a wonderful actress, and he learned later that it was her job, along with slaving for evil. The two went hand in hand.

Ada Wong was doing her job in Raccoon City, when she fed him that bullshit story about what she was doing in a run-down crime scene with scary, blood shedding monsters crawling around.

He fell in love with her, and did what he could to avenge her. But upon finding the bitch in the red dress, alive and well, shooting at him with a newly polished 4.5, he was heartbroken. It was a year and a half the next time he saw her. She popped up while he was training overnight in an academy gym. There was no way to get in the entire facility without a scan proof I.D. The only way to get one of those was by taking one from an officer. Leon was positive she had murdered someone to even gain access to the front door. There encounter was short, but plentiful. They had sex, as Ada clarified with him, he regarded the session as making love. She immediately dressed herself afterward, she didn't let him hold her, or fall asleep like time didn't matter. Her garments were on her like they never had a wrinkle, there was no blush or exhaustion in her face. No daze, or glow.

He wasted preserving himself because he was positive he that Ada was the only one for him. All that time, spent grieving over her. After that night, he realized he was in love with a stranger that wanted nothing of him. From this fact, he turned into a monster underneath his handsome face. Daytimes called for a hero and night time called for whatever he felt like doing, typically something that pleased him. Which was one of two things, the two worst possible things: women and killing.

Nights occupying his dirtiest secret and sin, he couldn't get enough of. After his reputation grew unbelievably strong for his episode with Los Illuminados, he was approached by an underground agency for skilled assassins. The offer was captivating, the thrill was like a drug to him. He moved in the shadows and racked up bodies. It wasn't an addiction, it was a calling to him. The feeling of being in control of someone's life was better than living with the fact that he didn't have control of a simple fling.

That was his little secret. Being in love made you do crazy things, being heartbroken made you do insane things.

No one was perfect.

He smelled like cigarettes and very masculine soap. Just the way he liked it after a job. His most recent victim was a 64 year old C.E.O. involved in drug trafficking. The hit on his head was six million heavy, the note was to kill him nice and slow. It had Leon smirking in the shower and fueled him to set up a dinner date for next Tuesday for a gorgeous flight attendant he met on the way to Japan. She was calling him for weeks and he was finally in a good enough mood to pursue her. He was a man now, and took pleasure in courting a woman for his own motives. The woman had great tits, for the lack of better words, and he was interested in experiencing what she could do with them.

He parked his silver Acura in a vacant lot at the warehouse and got out, lighting up a cigarette and leaning against his ride. His body was sore, but still gorgeous, in a simple V-neck and stonewashed jeans with some black boots. The leather of his holster was strapped prominently. His phone beeped and he pulled it out immediately and flipped open his Blackberry.

**_Revelle_**_: Two seconds away._

He replied.

**_Kennedy_**_: Gotcha._

Chris and Jill signed on to the operation to bring down the remaining Umbrella plants. Chris' other partner, Sheva Alomar was also in communication, back in South Africa. Claire was still on her own mission, from which she promised she would be back from within the year. They were to hit Rebecca's place of residence in Washington in approximately 6 hours. Everything was going according to plan.

There was one other comrade that was essential if they were going to succeed. Chris became good friends with a young man while he was in the Navy that he met in London. His name was Victor Revelle. He and Chris wound up on the same side of a bar brawl one night and the rest was history. They ended up in the same vicinity during a minor outbreak when Victor lost his life, and one of his few, last request was to watch over his younger sister, Olivia. She was a young army brat at the time and later became a General after graduating from medical school at the age of 16. Her activity in the Special Forces was a little bit more beloved than her occupation as a neurosurgeon however and she rapidly grew to be reserved as one of the 10 best snipers in the world enlisted. Due to Chris' bond with her brother before he passed away, he remained in good spirits with Olivia. She ended up founding the subsector BSAA base in London a while ago and had a disc of information that was confiscated from a TRICELL lab while she was on a rescue team.

Leon always protested against having a partner ever since the 'failure' that was Helena Harper but Dr. Revelle was a different matter. Her skill in disabling decoding bio-terrorism scripts and secret data was unmatched; Chris thought it was necessary do dig her out because there were many documents still not deciphered by him that could assist them in tracking Umbrella's upcoming moves.

Leon agreed to Chris' condition, but made it clear that he worked alone.

Olivia Revelle. Her name rang bells in his ears. Many of the reports concerning the location of many of the missing women within the last 6 months were discovered by her. There was a new finding every week, detailing the translation of TRICELL systems she hacked into, requests to retrieve the victims, signed by her name. Then reports would come back verifying the victim in custody and rehabilitation. So Leon knew of her, but he didn't know who she was.

From looking over the black market Leon had access to as a skilled assassin for hire, he saw her name many times. She was consistently included in the top ten most expensive kills, and when Chris alerted him to the fact that the reason she was so important was owed to her knowledge and threat towards Bioterrorists, Leon took a special interest in who this woman was.

Just then, a black range rover whipped into the parking lot, its high beams blinding Leon slightly. The engine simmered down and withered. And when he heard the confident rhythm of heels, he thanked the heavens. He loved that about a woman.

His jaw dropped when he laid eyes on her and he immediately reprimanded himself. He pulled on his Newport hard and watched her approach him through the smoke.

The first thing he noticed was the contrast of her thick jet black hair that fell to her waist and against her glowing dark olive skin. Her big brown eyes came next, they were honey colored and her eyelashes were rimmed in charcoal. She was shorter than him, but her confidence and five inch heels made up for a lot. Her lips were a matted tinted wine color and he thought he saw glimpse of freckles on her face. She had a full sleeve on her right arm, which was not common for a soldier, let alone a tiny woman like her. She wore a simple but tight royal blue tank which accentuated her breasts, and fitted skinny jeans. She had a two belts with pouches draped over her gracious, full hips and her holster hooked under her chest and held two chrome pistols proudly. It was evident she was mixed with something, her look was more exotic if anything.

Leon mentally chastised himself as dark thoughts penetrated his mind. Who was she?

"Mr. Kennedy." She greeted with her hand out. Her nails were painted a cautious pink, and she wore fingerless gloves. There was a hint of the dialect embedded in the way she said his name that left him breathless. His eyes softened and relished in the calm, serene feeling she had attached to her. She seemed to be more of a helper than a hurter. The vibe she carried was very honest and sincere.

"Please, Leon." he recovered, taking her hand in his. She grinned, he couldn't help but crack a smile.

"My name is Olivia Revelle, it's nice to meet you. Your reputation exceeds you."

He shook his head and grabbed the duffel bag out of his back seat along with the car cover that she helped him conceal his ride with "It's all a rumor, I swear."

They hopped into her range rover and she had them on the highway in an instant. Inconspicuous was the key with their upcoming operations, and Olivia told Chris she didn't mind the drive.

"I've been holding a lot of files a secret because not even cyberspace can be trusted, no matter how secured my contact are, Umbrella's hackers have been inching towards ruining my whole database," Olivia explained as she pushed 95mph and counting, Leon buckled his seatbelt. He never let a woman drive, and it would be a while before he could trust that she preserve his precious life regardless of what Chris Redfield claimed about her "So we thought it would be best if I deliver the goods myself."

"I understand, so you're like a computer geek?" he mused. Leon imagined as a neurosurgeon she would be extremely intelligent but that would also mean she had to know of the enormous bounty on her head. For her to appear so calm and confident was beyond him, her spirit warmed him as if she was so focused she had no care in the world.

Chris described her as 'whimsical' and Leon understood why.

"A computer geek I am not. I guess I've just had a lot of time to learn whatever I could to help use my skills in the most productive way. I have people that want my head because of my findings. And with that comes the need to be that much smarter." she replied simply, as if she read his mind. It grew quiet until an old rock instrumental sounded on her phone and she decreased her speed, clicking her overhead compartment to grab her own cell phone. A peek at the name and she denied it. Leon glanced at her with a mesmerized expression.

_Was that Guns n' Roses?_

That one little detail was way sexier than Claire on a motorcycle, or Ada's redundant red dress…it was different. He was most taken aback more than anything. He wasn't sure to allow himself to be turned on or completely ignore her. So he zoned out.

And as always, his father's most recent advice sounded in his mind.

_Every person is different, and no one deserved the sins of a stranger on their head. Each person is a new experience._

He rolled his eyes, his father was where he got his idiotic thoughts from.

"Leon?" she called, snapping him out of his daze. He had logged into his account that listed the new jobs available and up for grabs. With permission, a member of the agency could choose which job they wanted and go get the head, money directly deposited in one's account once they delivered whatever form of evidence was requested. He ran a search on the young woman next to him.

Revelle was indeed number three out of twenty five on the most wanted list…there was one reason listed: B.S.A.A.

Before answering, he texted Chris.

**_Kennedy_**_: Thank you for telling me how beautiful woman she was. How fucked up are you?_

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I zoned out."

She shrugged "3.6 billion dollars is a bit overdramatic, right? I agree."

He froze. _How did she know?_

Olivia continued driving, wordlessly.

How did she know…?

20 minutes later, Leon broke the silence "Who are you?"

The soldier sighed and pulled over in the dark isolated shadow of the dirt path. She turned to him and folded her hands and placed them in her lap politely.

"I am an American citizen that was raised in the United Kingdom's Army headquarters since the age of 6. I am a solider and general in the armed forces. I am a skilled sniper but a lethal hacker. I went to medical school and I am a licensed neurosurgeon. I know all about you too, Leon Scott Kennedy. American hero. You didn't think that I was going to work with someone I wasn't familiar with? I ran a background check with _my_ computer, and _everything_ popped up."

"That wasn't very nice." He muttered. The tricky thing about Leon was that he was safe either way. The cops loved him, and no matter what she ranked if she was undercover, she could never push him in front of a bus that wouldn't stop in its tracks for him. So he remained cocky and the lids that held his icy blue eyes lowered. He relaxed against the cold, leather seat. The one thing that bugged him was a woman who went searching for dirt, to find a fault in him. But she got a pass, he felt that as a dual citizen, she would be a national treasure by whoever scooped her up first.

Her eyes narrowed at him; Leon stunk in her nostrils with conceit. Something she didn't like. It was one thing to be secretive, but it was another to be full of shit.

"I check everyone, it helps me_ trust_," she replied "I had to make sure you weren't signed on to collect my life regardless of the comradery you share with Chris Redfield….I won't say anything, I promise. You aren't of any present harm to me, and Chris gave me his word you would be a reinforcement if anything. This disc needs to be delivered, so it isn't about any of us. It's about ruining plans before they are carried out. But, if you still feel like you don't want to continue, we don't have to do this. I don't like working with a partner any more than you do."

There was fatigue in her voice, and when he peered into her orbs, he saw how overworked she was. Her sleep deprivation was embedded around her eyes when he stared at her long enough. It make him believe her. Digging for dirt was the way she was forced to life due to the life she chose, just as the rest of them. In some way, they all had demons chasing them in the midst of trying to achieve peace. Personal demons that restricted them from normalcy. And a part of him felt bad for her. With such a large bounty on her head, he could imagine now how lonely she must be, being forced to live in hiding due to her hunger for justice. When was the last time she had been around someone who didn't want to kill her?

"I need you to show me." He told her gently, and then corrected his statement now laced with compassion "Can you…please show me, Doctor?"

"It would be my pleasure." She replied. They drove as far as they could before nightfall and checked into an upscale hotel about eight hours later. She chose one that was low key and on the outskirts of the sector, overlooking the wall that separated the uninhabitable parts of town from the sanctum. Their ride together was quiet, minimal talking, but there was an unexplainable peace that accompanied Olivia he could not explain. He frequently stole glances at her and noticed the serenity on her face, her eyes focused on something in the distance, perhaps in the back of her own mind. Leon wanted to inquiry about her thoughts after a while, he was itching to know.

He demanded their most expensive room, she demanded the top floor and explained to him that it was to not alarm their neighbors with her experiment. They traveled to the adjoined suites and settled in. Olivia told him to meet her at the rooftop in an hour and he abided by her request.

Leon took a shower and changed into a fresh v neck and navy sweatpants and black sneakers before strapping his gun holster on and combing his damp hair. He looked at himself in the mirror for about ten minutes, trying to decide if he would shave or not. Ten minutes later he gave up and made his way up to the rooftop access staircase. When he reached the top, he found the woman standing by the edge, her back to him. Her hair was down, as opposed to when her first met her earlier, and it swayed beautifully in the wind, past her hips. She did not have heels on anymore and it made him raise an eyebrow at how significantly short she really was, especially in comparison to him.

"Olivia." He called, it was the first thing that escaped his lips, before he could even think of the proper thing to speak. It was almost like she was spooling him in her web by just the peacefulness of her spirit and that destined look in her eyes.

She turned and he saw that she was wearing an all-black jumpsuit that hugged all her right curves in all the right way, making Leon groan involuntarily. A large rifle, which he identified as the almighty AMR Rifle, was cradled in her arms like a baby. It had chrome details and a Hello Kitty decal on the butt. Olivia smiled gently and held out some binoculars for him, then she held up a rifle bullet with a liquid capsule inside.

"This rifle is very important to me. It was a gift from my brother upon my graduation into the Spec Ops and I have racked over 200 kills for my country with this gun. Normally I do not brag but since we will be spending a lot of time together, I think you should know I never travel or sleep without it, especially since I am good with close range on a long range weapon. What's more important, however, is this bullet." She tossed him the bullet and he caught it, turning it upside down to see the green liquid shift.

"Never seen a bullet like this before." He replied, clenching it in his fists.

"That's because it is a new creation. Now, let me show you what you really want to see."

She turned and set the rifle on the stand that was set on the ground and then got on her stomach in the common sniper position. Leon followed suit as she adjusted her scope, peering through the binoculars at what she was focusing in on, although he couldn't help but look at her instead. Her face was so sure, so calm. It made him feel the same way.

"Follow my scope using you're black light, I've locked in on my targets." She said gently but he noticed that the tone of her voice had changed. It was no longer whimsical but sharp and a bit deeper, there was something incredibly dangerous with her voice as well, and Leon felt a shiver creep up his spine. Following her orders, he looked through his binoculars into the darkness over the sanctums wall to a family of flying J'Avo gnawing at one another.

"Okay, Doctor. Show me a good time." he replied, anxious. If this worked, she was his new best friend because that meant she had the key to him ending the war he was working so hard to finish.

"Roger that."

No less than ten seconds later she fired three resounding shots simultaneously taking down three of them. The creatures slammed into the ground and their wings shuddered weakly, seemingly paralyzed. Some zombies and lickers scattered beneath them from the impact of the fall and she struck them as well and they behaved the same way, no more movement than a twitch. A smirk crossed her face and she then went crazy, emptying her magazine on whatever moved, her last two shots, a double tap, on a huge Ustanak like creature that lurked. Leon's jaw dropped.

Two things struck him like a heart attack: One, the accuracy of her gunshots were so precise and effortless. Each one a determined head shot. Two, the effectiveness of the liquid bullet was immaculate. A full ten minutes had gone by and they still laid unable to resume activity.

"Impossible." He muttered, unable to take his eyes off them. Olivia continued to smirk as she switched to sitting on her butt and laid back, sighing.

"Nope. Just mad science."

He looked away and to her "How long will they stay they frozen for?"

"It does depend on the strength of the mutated gene but generally you got a good 20 minutes. Which for us should mean they are as good as dead. The stronger ones, like that big ugly thing, will need a lot more in strategic spots as they would need to be evenly disbursed throughout the body."

Leon looked at her, as she dazed up at the night's sky with the same look in her eye as earlier. "So this is poison?"

She shook her head "No. Poison would not paralyze like that, especially since these mutations are built to be able to bypass any conditions besides fire that would normally kill any organism. I found a solution that freezes the fruition of their genetics, anything linked to the T, C or B virus."

He smiled at her "I don't really understand what you're talking about but , you're a genius, and you're … a goddess."

Olivia did not answer him but instead shrugged and dismantled her gun set up and walked away. Leon got up quickly and followed her to their hotel room where she carefully laid her gun in its case with all its parts. The Doctor took a document out of her purse and laid it on the coffee table in front of him.

"That document is everything on the serum I created, as well as my ideal procedure on how I would like to one day soon, make the next step of evolving my serum to remove the virus from one's body. If you know anything about science: gene freezing and reversal are well along the same guidelines. I am close but after much research and evidence I did steal, this evolution requires a reverse catalyst. Those samples I believe can be found in prodigies like Sherry Birkin and Jake Muller for example as I've stated in my reports requesting the cooperation of those two again. I don't know where they've gone but they truly have gifts, those two. Their parents let the science drive them mad, but they did give their children the one delicacy that might change the world as we know it now."

Leon touched the document and smiled the most genuine smile he ever gave her, the first of many "I read you're reports but I couldn't put all the pieces together until now. One thing puzzles me, though?"

"Yeah?"

"I thought Sherry Birkin delivered samples of both her and Jake's DNA to the BSAA."

"They never made it into a real representative's hand. If they did, I would probably be farther along than we are now," Olivia responded, folding her arms "I've made numerous requests to headquarters pleading for a team to locate those two and bring them back together but no one listens a crazy scientist like me. They all think I'm nuts but I do think something is wrong. Sherry was usually one of the first people to read and comment on my research theses. "

Leon shook his head and beamed at her "I don't. And I appreciate you showing me your creation. I think you're the best thing I've ever laid my eyes on. I understand why Chris talked up your value. You are…priceless." He was right about the national treasure. This woman became more and more incomparable with every shot she fired for him. Besides her looks, the vicious curves of her body or the tantalizing lavender scent she carried relentlessly, her intelligence is what became the sexiest to him, more so than he could ignore. This type of attraction was a first for Leon, who always discovered himself to be unreliably shallow.

Reading her theses were one thing, and being able to put the name at the bottom to a face was another story, but seeing those theses put into practice with perfect grace was a phenomena he had never experienced. It made him feel devoted to her, it made him feel like he had a partner worth tying himself to, it made him feel like he wasn't alone in the fight.

Olivia blushed, her cheeks growing red, she had forgotten what it felt like to feel that expression. She closed her rifle case and locked it gently, putting a hand to her own cheek, blossoming with color.

"Thank you, Leon." No other words found her way out so she turned and headed towards her bedroom.

"I won't leave your side until we see your serum get to its final stage," he called to her, making her stop "I will do whatever I can to get you whatever you need, including Jake and Sherry. I promise you."

She turned slightly and smiled at him "Good night Leon. I hope you sleep well." And with that she disappeared behind the door.

He frowned, wondering why that reaction occurred. Perhaps she wasn't used to having many loyal supporters. Perhaps she had trust issues that prevented her from believing he could keep his promises. Either way, he would prove it to her. Now that he met the notorious Doctor, there was no way he was letting her out of his sight. She was a secret weapon, and seemed to be humble about her ability. If that wasn't a turn on, he didn't know what was.

Leon quickly learned to like being around someone who required nothing of him. Not his money, his body, his security or his insecurities. It was just…as it was. The only threat against him was that she had found out using her computer geek powers, that he was an assassin. It was a secret life he used to satisfy his desires, and something not even Hunnigan knew about. Perhaps this new thing, was a good thing. And so he heard Claire Redfield's voice in his head, once again.

**_There was no getting out, there was only moving forward. Or die._**

She knew his deepest secret before even meeting him. He had no choice. Chris asking him to accompany her on her mission to try and stop the outbreak was one thing. He would remain the perfect but rue gentlemen and or the sake of beautiful, earnest computer geeks around the world, and Chris' friendship, he would make sure they got to their given destination in one peace. By any means...

_Incoming text. Chris Redfield_

**_Chris Redfield:_**_Stop being such a pussy. And stop complaining. _

**_Leon Kennedy:_**_Roger that. _

He entered his room, stripped and fell back into his king sized bed, and involuntarily fantasized about his new best friend.


	3. DollFace

Chapter 3: DollFace

* * *

Rebecca Chambers pulled up into her broad driveway and her stomach did a flip. Every week day night around 6:45pm, she would get the same pleasant greeting on her navy colored doorsteps and she wasn't quite used to it yet. Her shiny silver Volkswagen gave a purr as it whipped into the garage of her isolated condo on the outskirts of Washington, Bonney Lake. It was quiet, and people were polite for the most part. Which is just what suited soft spoken, mellow Rebecca. She ran a center for children with cancer in that vicinity, along with some research work for the BSAA on her off days.

After her episode in the Ark lay Mountain, she pushed to receive her Ph.D and quickly pursue her life's dream of helping others. The things she faced was too much for her young age and she felt the sudden anxiety to achieve all her regular lifetime goals before the inevitable happened. She always had nightmares of one day the ghosts of her ex-teammates barging through her door with an impeccable plan and lead on how to end Umbrella. Once and for all. At first, it had been strictly her career. She completed her studies in a record breaking two years and jumped headfirst into the rehabilitation center. The kids she met there was extraordinary, and she loved going to work every day. With her constant support to the BSAA, she didn't need the money, but it brought joy and light to her past darkness. There were things she learned she could not cure, like the evil intentions of people who did the cruel things they did. Or her four year span of loathing herself for not saying more to Billy Coen, a convict with whom she fell in love with in one terror filled night.

He was there with her when her world collapsed and fell into place all at the same time. She came home with a tray filled with test specimens for some after hours studying and dropped them all over her black pumps at the sight of the object of her affection standing in her doorway of her bedroom. It was surreal. Her heart stopped, restarted, pausing and ran away from her. She remembers crashing into his arms without words, foreign tears blotching his black tee shirt. It wasn't important how he ended up in her house, or why he was provoked to scare her like that. He was all she dreamt about for four long years, and if he was nothing but a ghost, she didn't want anyone to tell her. The most important thing to her was his unbelievably large biceps swallowing her in his embrace, his chin onto her head of chestnut colored tresses that had now grown to her mid back and was held back in an elastic band. His breathing was real, as was his scent. Still masculine, still raw, still comforting.

The comfort she went without for four years.

She passed on all other suitors. Famous, rich, beautiful doctors that tried to court her. She lied, claimed to being a devote lesbian to get them away from her. At work, her 'partner' lived in Canada and they only got to see each other twice a year. It sufficed. But it was really him she yearned for.

And she told him. Whispered it in his ear, earnestly.

_"I've waited for you, for so long…"_

_"I know…doll face."_

Her mother once told her that if she loved something, she should let it go, and that if it came back, **the love was mutual**. At the age of six, her mentality was much more mature than the other girls her years, so this fact seemed unrealistic. But with the given situation, fate cast her way, she had no choice. Pursuing a relationship of any kind didn't seem to have any purpose, so she passed on them all. So she tossed the fairy tale in the back of her mind. His body on top of her inexperienced limbs flooded her minds at times in the darkness of her bedroom where she eagerly sought out orgasms alone. Her mind sometimes ran away with her, and it pixelated images of a future with the ex-convict. Lunch in the park, movie night by her fireplace, vacations in Cuba…

For four years, he remained her private dream. Her secret. But he came back for her. And her heart fit to bursting. Her mother was right.

After the exchange of simple words, he wasted no time in doing what he fantasized of for all that time. She trusted him enough to answer her twenty one questions in the morning. Billy Coen kissed her with every bit of gratitude, affection and adoration he had for the tiny young woman. Of course, she saved his life. Of course she changed it. She gave him his freedom. She allowed him to rebuild a life. And he did what he could to walk the streets in the daylight and return to her, a man suitable to be worthy of her attention. Rebecca crumbled into his arms, practically swooned from their first second of contact. She broke into a million pieces for him to explore and put back together and he did…_all night_.

He unfolded her, it was evident in her eyes she thought long and hard about who she chose to give herself to. That was what he loved about Rebecca Chambers. She was so young but yet so very sure of every decision that was within her power. Her intelligence was so attractive, and her ambition was to die for. But in her eyes, he knew she thought about him a lot, it caused a weird reaction in his heart. One he never felt before. But it was one he expected upon waiting for her to get home that one faithful night.

So he kissed and worshiped her body for hours on end. He did everything he dreamed about to her, his heavy hands worked carefully under her fragile form. So carefully, he explored her, catering to her every whimper and moan. Her body laid before him, in nothing but his dog tags she never removed from her neck, withering with new found pleasure, heaving with spasms never experience prior to him. And he instructed her on how to explore him, he smiled at the childlike wonder in her eyes. Her eyes memorized every deeply sculpted crevice of his defined muscles, trying to fathom how all of him, would please her without dying in his arms out of complete bliss.

He found forever that night, deep inside her.

The sheer minutes she felt pain made his insides cramp up, he hated hearing her murmurs of discomfort, but he was patient. Until sunrise, they feasted of one another. By the next night, Rebecca cared less that she was a no-show to work and a very important facility meeting. They didn't leave the bed… making up for lost time had no time limit for the two of them and they took every advantage of that fact. Before her body collapsed from exhaustion, she cowered in the safety of his arms and asked one simple question.

'Please be here when I awake…'

Ever since then, they had been inseparable.

She enjoyed his warmth every morning when she woke up. He was her personal alarm clock, thanks to his personal insomnia problem, and always was prolific on her being on time to work after a passionate night of lovemaking. Rebecca pleasured herself in the little things she discovered about him: he was a great cook, an expert in breakfast dining, he had a special skill in mechanical endeavors and he was extra funny after a few shots of Tequila. He never ran out of ideas on how to romance her and loved six hour long work outs. He couldn't legally work so he spent his time while she was at work rebuilding muscle cars. He kissed her goodbye when she left for the day and was always waiting for her on her doorstep when she pulled up in her driveway. Rebecca gave him her garage so he could keep his tools and tamper away with his cars, which he loved her for. They planned dates alone by the lake, and nights in with a new movie each time, equipped with popcorn and candy._ Just the way she liked it._

It wasn't perfect, but after four months of him finding her, she was positive he wasn't going anywhere.

Every day she took her walk up the cutely decorated walkway to her porch, she would lock eyes with him. The aroma of Marlboro cigarettes filled her nostrils as her spine shivered. He gave her that look. The look that a man only completely head over heels in love with a woman's mind, body and soul would give. Like he wanted to see into her mind, devour her whole and hold her tight all in one instance. His cigarette hung idly on the corner of his lips and he would rake a calloused hand through his jet black hair, a little longer now then the night she met him. He stood in the presence of her and tossed his cigarette aside before she reached the confinement of his arms. Rebecca relaxed, finally and allowed him to engulf her with his large body, swaying slightly.

"Hello…" she squeaked as he squeezed the air of out her briefly, she gave a giggle and peered up at him behind her deep bangs. They cut her hair back into her pixie cut. He loved it that way, she liked his longer.

Billy sighed and released her, to examine her as if she had a noticeable change since the morning when she left him "How was your day, honey bun?"

"Same old shit?"

That was usually his line, it made him grin proudly "Ah. Life."

She laughed. A hearty one.

Rebecca let him slip his hand into hers, but looked up at him in confusion when he didn't proceed inside as she moved.

"What's wrong?" Billy didn't look at her, his eyes was lingering down the dark street, and their house was the only one for miles. He had a frown fixed on his lips also.

"You have company waiting for you upstairs…"

"What?"

"They told me they were old friends of yours, from the first incident when you were with Bravo Team and also agents of the BSAA. I knew they mustn't been important to you since they knew your place of residence. They knew so much about you, doll. So I had them wait upstairs, they only arrived about 15 minutes ago."

Rebecca's heart dropped "Chris…Jill..?"

"Yes, and a couple of others. I remember you telling me of them so I didn't kill em'," he joked lightly "They said they need to talk to you, it's important."

Rebecca's nightmare was coming true, just as she predicted it. Loose tabs were always kept with the ones who shared interactions of the darkness of the Umbrella Corporation, but ever since she reunited with Billy, she wanted to stay as far away from that as possible. The people involved in the BSAA and neighboring communities all devoted in stopping bio-terrorism would exchange emails and such. Reports from missions, any type of evidence that would serve as a lead. For the sake of losing him, she didn't want to risk it. Never before did she have something of her own, like the love he gave her, and there was no way was she going to sacrifice that. Like every average girl, she wanted a wedding eventually, kids, and to grow old and gray with someone. With Billy and no one else. It was selfish of her not to want to cooperate but stepping willingly back into a terror story was not on her agenda. Her friends Claire and Jill never saw things her way, but that didn't matter. If she were to participate in any type of recon mission (which was the most logical reason as to why Chris Redfield would track her down), she knew Billy wouldn't let her go without him. He was her partner in battle and now, in love.

There was no way she was going to lose him.

"Billy…I…"

He smiled, stroking her cheek to comfort her. An arm slid around her waist and he kissed her in her favorite spot below her left ear "I already know. But they may have something here. Just hear them out. And no matter what, I'm here for you."

The words were simple but the meaning behind them was plentiful. Enough for the young doctor to inhale deeply and exhale thankfully, and wordlessly walk up the steps and into her place that she and her partner only knew as refuge for so long. Just them, alone.

"That's my girl." Billy's hand smacked her on the ass as she dragged herself up the stairs and when she glanced back, he raised an eyebrow and his smirk was enough to make her strip. She faked an offended face at him but when he rolled his eyes and coaxed her to continue moving, she accepted defeat.


	4. The Latest Plague

_Thanks to everyone who favorited me and this story. I am really open to reviews and critique because it helps me as an author so I definitely encourage more of that and I can't express my gratitude enough for those of you who took the time out to read. Enjoy. xoxo_

_**Love is forever, and if it doesn't last forever it isn't love**_

**Dottie Kinnealy**

Chapter 4: The Latest Plague

Calm breezes ushered in the morning dusk and caused beautiful sounds around Claire as she stirred from her sleep. A smile immediately graced her face as she noticed the leather binds around her wrist, shackling her to the bruised headboard with her arms above her head. Her body was naked and her head banged with foreign pain repeatedly but she did not care. There were cuts, scars and bruises all over her body, her blood staining her lips, cheeks and thighs. Luckily she was laying against the firm queen sized mattress, for it sheltered some of her exhaustion and soreness. She tried moving her feet but they were shackled as well and had even fell asleep after her consciousness.

From bite marks and whelps on her ass. She could still feel the sting.

She called for her lover but he did not answer. His fiery red hair was in view just in front of the bed but made no movement, and a little giggle escaped her. Her mouth formed an 'O' before calling his name one more time and then she got the desired response: his head rolled and his body rose.

He wiped his face with his one good hand before their eyes locked on one another and although her face was fully expressive of how much she loved him, his face was blank. And she accepted him that way.

"Come to me." She croaked, not noticed how dry her throat was. Claire had long lost track of when she had her last drink of water, of how much clean _drinking_ water they had left. The fact that Steve had become her only ration made her blush intensely.

_She used every ounce of strength in her body to drag Steve to her truck on the outskirts of town. He was curled over her back making her hunch low to accommodate his tall broad figure. Luckily she was almost as tall as him. Over a mile later her body ached, almost throwing him into the backseat and shutting the door and hopping into the driver's seat. It was then all the fatigue and pain she felt after everything she had gone through press down on her shoulders and she immediately began to cry. _

_It had been almost a year she used to track down his body, which was safely in an abandoned laboratory on the same Island they escaped from. Someone gutted out a section of the desecrated area and revived a compound where more research was taking place. Upon her arrival, no one was there but it was clear that there was something new being birthed there. Steve Burnside however, her only concern, was lying in a back room on some sort of life support. Whoever put the entire sector on its feet had been killed and was lying in cold blood in the front corridor, everything left on and running/, to her relief. She broke down and her hands shook running over his face, not hesitating to bend down and kiss him. It was a few minutes of being lost in the rush of her reunion with him before she backed away and caught her breath, looking at how he had been connected to the devices surrounding his body which in fact had been repaired as much as possible. He had various stitch marks and was missing his left hand, but she didn't care and could only hope that his eyes would open once more for her. _

_There was so much time she spent obsessing and thinking about him, to finally have him in her grasps was enough to make her heart stop. She fished out her cell phone and grasped it tightly in thought before unlocking it and tapping a speed dial number. _

_It rang five times before someone picked up "Claire?"_

"_Sister!" she replied in her happiest tone, her eyes locked on Steve's scarred face._

"_Are you crying?" came a gentle tone on the other end._

"_No. I'm not." Claire lied, dragging a hand across her eyes as if someone could see her. _

"_I haven't heard from you in over six months."_

"_I know. I've been busy but I promised if you help me I'll be around a lot more."_

_She could almost imagine the woman on the other end rolling her eyes and taking off her glasses to rub her forehead in agitation "How'd I know you were only calling to ask for something?" _

"_I really need your help."_

"_I'm fine too, thanks for asking." Claire almost broke the phone in her hand. She was incredibly impatient and she knew she was selfish as well to her brother and her accepted sister, Olivia, but this wasn't the time. There was no preparing for the hell she would catch when she returned home, and she figured she would deal with it when the time came. Olivia and Claire became incredibly close shortly after her brother's death to Claire's amazement she was overjoyed to accept her: she always wanted an older sister. Olivia even stayed with Claire and Chris for a few week and the two girls became the best of friends. But Liv's tough schooling and training overseas and Claire's ambition to play sports and beat up bullies separated the two. They always kept in touch and now she had become the key to Claire's happiness: She was a doctor. She could fix Steve. _

_It took three days to convince her spirit sister to meet her near Sheena Island where she had occupied a vacant run down hotel. Liv got a helicopter to drop her on the actual island and she traveled on foot to Claire's location, fighting a few fiends off on the way. It sucked carrying a large pulley worth of equipment but Claire promised her she would secure travel out of the Island complex._

_Claire answered the knock at the entrance with a shotgun and immediately lowered it upon seeing her older and shorter sister standing there with shades on and a lollipop in her mouth. She wore a floral short romper and converses, and her heavy, thick hair was pulled into a high ponytail for visual convenience. They hugged for a long time and Claire kept plucking away her tears. She escorted Olivia upstairs and they worked together to hog the heavy traveling luggage as they climbed steps to reach her beloved. _

_Watching Liv inspect Steve and hook him up to her portable monitors was hard for Claire but she stayed at her sister's side to expedite the process. The doctor's small hands found his cheek for warmth, his neck for a pulse, his chest for a heartbeat and so on. In a matter of moments they stripped him naked and unlike Liv, Claire couldn't steady her heartbeat at how much his dormant body affected her._

"_He has a terrible amount of incisions, I'll have to find out what they were trying to do to him. His skin is stretched…Claire, his right hand is missing." Liv said softly looking across the examination table at her as she applied a black doctor's robe and fastened it tightly._

"_I can see that obviously." Claire snapped, blushing deeply. Of course it made her mad but she couldn't let a small loss like that condemn her or their right to a second chance. Her only interest was bringing Steve back to consciousness and she did not care what it entailed. _

"_And you don't care?" Liv responded unaffected by Claire's fiery attitude. Of course she heard the story of the two of them from the horse's mouth and Chris but she could not nearly imagine what Steve had been through or what they did to him. His body seemed bent out of its original form and distorted, some of his bones dislocated. Her first job was to make sure he could regain a pulse, or else they were both wasting their time. _

"_No. I need him awake." Claire replied almost mechanically making the doctor's eyes widen. It wasn't until she looked into Claire's eyes did she finally realize how obsessed she had become for this corpse, for this memory. It pulled at Liv's heart strings only because of how much she cared for the woman but did not do well for her usual cold exterior. _

"_Please…" _

_Liv worked for two days straight on Steve's body after finding a pulse post recitation. It was a miracle to hear his heart beat again after being frozen for an unimaginable amount of time. Claire sat in a corner while Debussy played in the background and Liv gently cleaned and sanitized his wounds, sewed up his lacerations and reset his bones. She watched the woman's every move and jumped at every one of Liv's requests. She did not say much, outside of instructions, and treated Steve with care, as if he were her own lover. They ran a tube into him to feed him nutrients and ration. Claire was obsessed with the way his chest rose and fell. On the third day Liv, red-eyed and bushy haired, stepped back from Steve Burnside, looking pleased._

_"He's going to be okay." _

_Liv explained to Claire everything that she gathered from observing Steve, and his blood samples. There was more to find out but she assured Claire that she would check it out and let her know more information. Steve's DNA was actually very interesting and sparked the Doctor's interest as it applied to her own research for a serum. _

_Handing Claire a briefcase filled with antidotes she mixed for Steve, Olivia departed as soon as he awoke._

_She was alone reading his temperature and marking it on a form when she heard him make a noise. Claire was on her way to retrieve some blood from an abandoned clinic she found outside of head turned to the side and he gave a cough, responding to his feeding tube. Olivia placed the clipboard down and put a hand on his shoulder in order to calm him down. He did, allowing her to retract the tube carefully. He coughed again and looked at the small woman at his side, making a confused face. _

_Olivia grinned. _

"_Hello, it's good to see you." She said to him, pulling her stethoscope from around her neck._

"_Who are you?" Steve replied, he just stared at her. _

"_A doctor. Can you tell me your name?"_

_He raised his hand to rub his forehead "My name is… Steve…Burnside."_

_Olivia took a step back and took his arm so she could quickly give him some morphine for the pain he had to feel, praising God and herself in her head. She did it. She watched him feel his limbs and his hair and look around as if he just woke up from a deep sleep. His eyes welled up with tears when he noticed his right hand and wrist was gone._

"_Very good. I am a close friend of Claire Redfield. She came to get you." Olivia replied gently, handing him a glass of water. ._

"_Claire…is here?"_

"_She's out getting you some treats but she'll be back. My name is Olivia." _

"_Olivia. What happened to me?" _

"_I'm regret to say that I can't tell you much besides what is physically apparent. Claire can tell you more than I can otherwise." _

_Steve tried to sit up but failed and the Doctor besides him pushed him back down with one finger "This is crazy. I was dead?" _

"_Basically. Whoever took you after your mutation stabilized your body using T-Virus cells and a cryogenic state. All I did was pump you clean of whatever was keeping you under. I must alert you that you aren't fully human anymore. It's good to know you have common sense and no loss of memory so far." _

_Steve opened his mouth to respond before gagging and slinging himself over into the bucket the doctor had waiting for him, hurling his insides out. Olivia stayed patient as he regurgitated every bit of liquid ether she fed him while he was asleep and frowned. A few minutes later Steve fell back on his pillow, breathing heavily and Olivia gave him water. _

"_What am I?" he asked her, his eyes still focused on his severed hand that she had seared and covered with cloth. _

"_You are barely human. I will do my best to research what you are but you're body isn't responding to things regular organisms do and you just puked up the food and nutrients I was feeding you. Do you feel hungry?" Liv responded, eying him closely._

"_No." _

"_Thirsty?"_

"_Yes." _

_Liv frowned and shook her head to herself before dragging a hand across his forehead gently, he was incredibly hot. Her hand travelled to his cheek and watched as he nuzzled into it. There was something about the red glint in the hue of his green eyes that threw her senses off. His reaction made her watch him curiously. What happened next was quick and unexpected._

_Steve's head snapped quickly to her open palm and his teeth snagged at her flesh but she was quick to withdraw her hand, gasping loudly. He growled in desperation and sat up to look her over before trampling her to the ground in attempts to regain her palm, or neck. Olivia yelped at how strong he was and used her forearm to brace his neck and keep his mouth away from her. He was drooling, and growling like a wild animal, it was unlike anything she had ever experienced from a human being. He was big, and more muscular than before according to Claire but either way, Olivia would lock up her muscles to help her from getting bit. There was no way she was dying from the bite of one of her patients, let along Claire's beloved. _

_She used all her strength to raise her knee to toss him over her head, and it barely worked. With a large thump he landed on his back, almost popping his neck although she doubted it would do anything. Liv scrambled to her feet and slid to grab the gun in her open purse before aiming at his forehead, mostly out of self-defense. _

"_Steve, please don't move. I get it. Claire's on her way." _

_Just then Claire entered and froze upon seeing the two of them standing across from one another. _

Claire knew it was wrong, looking down on her beloved who was on top of her, nursing from her neck. The memory of how he regained his life flooded her thoughts as he made love to her and now…feasted. She was not sure how the others would respond and there was no compromising when it came to Steve. There was also allowing his existence to be nothing more than a myth.

He pulled away lightly and reached up to untie her hands so she could curl her arms around his head. They embraced tightly.

"Everything's going to be just fine." She whispered, to herself more than him. He nodded.

She planned to return to her brother and family, but she wasn't going to do it without Steve. If they didn't accept him, they didn't accept her and she would leave. Although Olivia stood against treating him any further, Steve seemed stable enough to be able to live on as long as he had fresh blood. Securing a hospital to steal from was easier than killing people and Claire made it happen. Could there be a cure for him to return back to normal?

Claire knew she was being incredibly selfish but she could not handle what would happen if her heart lost the one person she loved. The doctor assured her there was a plan for a serum in the works and if that was true she would no doubt get a hold of it for him.


	5. Illumination

_How shall a man escape from that which is written; How shall he flee from his destiny?_

_\- Ferdowsi_

**5: ILLUMINATION**

_Six months later…_

When you live in complete darkness it seems as though the rest of your senses besides sight becomes illuminated. Sounds, feelings, taste and scents become more vigorous to the mind. There is no sense of time or passing of days, even to the most attentive human. All they know are the rhythms and beats of their own memories and knowledge, everything else is osculate.

Jake Muller had lost track of how long he was stuck in the underground hole. It was no bigger than an 8X11 unit, smelled like nothing but dust and had no trace of natural or artificial light. The only time his eyes caught any type of brightness was when the heavy steel lid above him would creep open and food would drop down. Most times it was rotten but there was no indication as to where it was coming from or even sometimes what it was.

He couldn't recall how he landed himself in this position, all he knew was that he woke up in darkness, and that much time had passed. When he felt his face it was so hairy, unlike the clean cut he usually kept and his clothes was soiled.

Everything was dark, always and the only light he found was in his own mind, recalling thoughts of Sherry Birkin, and the brightness in her eyes.

The crisps sounds of gunfire, a double barrel shotgun and a Smith and Weston machine gun to be exact, woke him out of his dormant thoughts. He heard cries of pain, bodies dropping above him, crashes and the scent of gas burned his nostrils. He stood up in alarm, his neck bending to the sky to hear more and to decipher what was going on. Then came the most random but most melodic sound he had heard in God knows how long: a short but sweet laugh.

One more shotgun fired and then he heard the rustle of what sounded like a lock before the steel lid squeaked open and a generous amount of light poured into the hole he lived in. His cold blue eyes re-adjusted, welcoming the light and he peered up at smoke before a braided rope flew down and almost hit him in the face.

"Jake?" came a soft voice, it was a voice of a female. There was no alarm or tension, or even evil in it.

He stayed silent, unsure of what to do, but ready to fight.

A woman leaned down, looking into the hole, her black hair was perfectly slicked back, and a long braid hung below her shoulders. She had little specks of blood sprinkled across her cheeks.

"Jake Muller?" she asked again before looking away to address someone else "There's someone down there."

It had been so long since he had used his voice, let alone heard the voice of another human. Any time he did hear voices above him, which was seldom, it never did him any good because it wasn't in English. Nevertheless, he found energy and took a deep breath.

"Who wants to know?" he replied, feeling the dryness in his throat. When was the last time he had water to drink? How was it possible that he was still alive?

The woman nodded her head and used her hand to steady the rope so he could grab it.

"Found him," She called out before smiling down at him "My name is Olivia Revelle, BSAA European special ops unit. We came to get you and we don't have much time."

Sherry.

Sherry worked for the BSAA, so the heavenly thought of her was the first and only thing he could summon. Who was he kidding, it was the only thing that mattered. If she only knew that she was the only reason why he didn't kill himself being locked in that hole for so long. If she only knew that the thoughts of her and seeing her again is what kept him alive. This woman had to know her, or know where and how she was. His heart raced at the thought of something being wrong with Sherry, for if she was okay, wouldn't she had been the one to rescue him instead of this doe eyed woman? He made a mental note that his former partner's whereabouts would be one of the first things he inquired about once he was out of this god forsaken hole.

"Jake!" The woman called, her voice slightly tired now.

"Yeah that's my name, don't wear it out." He snapped back, grabbing a hold of the rope and tugging on it to test how sturdy it was before he would pull himself up. His eyes exposure to the brightness above him nearly blinded him so he just settled for closing his eyes. He figured if the girl wasn't who she said she was, he would be dead within the next few minutes anyway. The woman stood and grabbed the rope to support him, tugging back to let him know he was good. She totally ignored his smart remark which Jake noted but nevertheless began pulling himself up with all the energy he could muster. When he was in arm's length of hers, she put her own hand out and he was fascinated with the olive color of her skin. The sound of her gold charm bracelets chimed and rang through his ear like it was the first time ever hearing such a high pitch. The gleam of her watch made him tick. The hot pink hue of her nail color also was a gift to his irises as they touched and her hand locked on to his forearm.

"Gotcha." She reaffirmed to him.

He grabbed her tighter and tugged, his feet planted against the wall in preparation "You sure?"

He was sizing her up. Although from what he could see her chest was pleasantly large, she had a small frame and appeared to be very much petite. Olivia smirked, nodded and gave another laugh similar to the one he heard upon their arrival. They locked eyes and she pulled while he climbed up her frame pulling back until his fingers reached the brim of his dungeon. He pushed himself up and over before crouching low to the ground and looked around. For some reason his heart beat quickly, out of apprehension from being once again among the living. Another part of it was – to put it plainly – his desire to rip someone, anyone's, to shreds for the time wasted as a prisoner.

Jake's eyes leveled onto his savior's who had big brown orbs, filled with strength and peace that calmed him. She threw the rope to the ground and picked up her shotgun from the floor before cocking and reloading it, the shells falling to the ground loudly. She was short, no taller than 5'4 and beautiful, her body strapped into a dark green and black BSAA uniform with a bullet proof vest and matching beret. She pulled a pistol from behind her back and tossed it to him.

"Hey thanks." Jake responded and a second later caught a bottle of water she sent flying his way. He immediately opened and consumed the liquid in less than ten seconds.

She smiled, as if they weren't in a bad place and looked around "No problem."

"Who sent you?"

"We can talk about that later but I promise you we all want the same thing. Our first objective is to free you, if you don't like what we have to say: you can go." Her voice was so calm; Jake didn't sense anything wrong about her. In the distant they heard a round of machine gun bullets go off and heavy footsteps.

A face Jake remembered vaguely made it's appear through the doorway, his cocky stride fairly noticeable.

"Leon Kennedy," Jake saluted sarcastically "You're my savior?"

Leon rolled his eyes and looked over the woman, Olivia, obviously making sure she was in one piece "Actually, you can thank for even being smart enough to locate you all the way out here where there's no service. You, my friend, are in a concentration camp."

Leon hadn't seemed to age a day, and his voice still annoyed Jake, but Jake was relieved as ever to see faces of people who didn't want to restrain him. He was happy to see someone he knew. And the BSAA, and in Leon's case: The US government, meant that he was in no apparent danger.

"Doctor?" He questioned, the woman in front of him didn't look a day over 22 "And concentration camp? Excuse me?" Jake responded, his blood broiled. He was held captive in a concentration camp, for what?

Olivia shook her head "We don't have time for this, Gentlemen. Jake, I can answer anything you want to know later. We need to get out of here. There's some creepy crawly things down here I'm sick of blowing up and we are running low on ammo so make it count."

Leon nodded and gave Jake a final glare before leading the way out the room. Olivia followed, it seemed like they were partners now, Jake reluctantly followed suit. They traveled down an extremely long hallway and up a large, endless staircase. As they ran past, he noticed the distorted creatures laying in pools of blood at his feet. There were tons of them everywhere. He glanced at Leon and the doctor's back, they had evidently gone through so much just to ensure his rescue. They sprinted in front of him, not expecting him to be alert enough to defend himself, therefore providing him cover. It wasn't hard to guess that there was something seriously wrong in that case. The only one who ever seemed concerned in his whole life was Sherry…

The look in Kennedy and the Doctor's eyes told him that they knew where or how she was, and so he would follow them until he knew also…

Leon sat in the brightly lit hotel room watching Liv read a document intensely while the shower ran soothingly in the room next door. He had also showered and dressed in the room next door and washed the blood from his hair, nails and face successfully. He played with a torch lighter and occupied the TV on the wall showing some type of Mongolian news broadcast. They found an asylum after they got off the helicopter out of the concentration camp and bought ration, food, and a whole bunch of stuff to get Jake back to his original self. Liv forced Jake immediately to the shower, shave and change before she told him anything. The look in her and Leon's eyes told Jake they already knew the answer to his questions, without even being prompted.

"He won't stop until he finds her." Olivia said gently, putting the paper stack down on the table before standing, partly convincing herself. She had changed into a black, fitted button up blouse, a dark green pencil skirt with a leather heel. His eyes rested in her sight as she tied her waist length hair up and out of her face with a black satin ribbon. She opened a suitcase that matched her shoe's material and began to set up a system for taking blood. Leon licked his lips. Despite her skilled hand at medicine and sniper rifles, her movements were always so graceful, careful.

His partner was still a mystery to him, even after all the horrors they had been through together. When he wasn't living the other half of his double life, he enjoyed trying to decrypt her. One thing was certain: She lived, breathed and slept trying to find an end to the war on bioterrorism and when he was around her, he couldn't help but be entranced.

"Liv?"

She looked up from the table and caught the can of beer just as Leon tossed it her way. It was accompanied with a boyish smile which she returned politely.

"Thanks."

She snapped the can open and the key dropped to the ground, and so she bent to pick it up. Leon immediately glanced at her cleavage involuntarily, feeling a warmth in the pit of his stomach. He wasn't trying to be improper, it was just second instinct for a woman he's been professionally linked to for three years. Bonded together for the sake of tracking both Jake and Sherry down, as well as administering the job of gathering different samples to test for the antidote for the C Virus made him so attached to her it really wasn't funny. It was either torture or pleasure to him and both stirred up emotions he thought we long gone.

He stood and strolled across the room, watching as she opened a laptop.

"I'll let you negotiate with him. He is difficult," Leon warned, coming to stand beside her "Rubbed all the guys the wrong way."

"What about the women?" She shot back.

He raised an eyebrow "Well.."

"Is he as difficult as you?" Liv teased.

He faked a heartbreak and crooned "Ouch."

"All I can do is be honest about the state of the world since he's been locked in a hole and lure him in with Sherry's current situation. If she means as much to him as Chris told me, he should be putty in our hands. I'll handle it, I don't want male ego taking over." She responded as the shower turned off. Remembering the can in her hand, she chugged it, while looking at the computer screen.

Leon did not take his eyes off her, she was right. "Well I'll be right here, if he comes out his mouth to you, his ass is mine."

Olivia shook her head "He won't. But I know."

"Know what?"

"I know you'll be right here..."

Leon took a seat at the table where she stood and they waited for a few more minutes in silence until Jake emerged freshly shaven with a white tee, black cargo pants and a towel around his neck. He looked at them both without speaking and Olivia took the opportunity to beam at him.

"Good, I'm glad the clothes I got fit."

Jake stretched "Yeah, you got some nice taste, these clothes feel pretty expensive."

Leon rolled his eyes and Olivia placed a hand on his shoulder without even looking at him.

"Life is too short for cheap clothing…Anyway, I think we should get right down to it since we don't have a lot of time," she spoke calmly and articulately so he could properly understand every word she was about to say "Again, my name is Olivia Revelle and - "

"Can I just call you Doc? That's so much cooler. You look too young to be a doctor." He cut in dully.

She folded her arms across her chest "You can call me whatever you want as long as you listen to everything I have to say. And yes. I am a neurosurgeon."

Jake shrugged "Seems like a nice paycheck."

"You can say that. Anyway. Since you've been in your little hole, the world has been working incredibly hard to stop the epidemic of the viruses. It has now sectioned off the infected areas from uninfected areas and some places are uninhabitable because of the inability to eradicate the zombies and other creatures. Mongolia is one of the four places on this entire planet where the population is contained but it is desolate which why you were held captive here. Your blood can help find an antidote but the serum is incomplete. The samples Sherry delivered never made it back to B.S.A.A headquarters."

"In other words everything Sherry and I did was for noting." Jake muttered coldly.

"Not for nothing. We are halfway there. The B.S.A.A. gathered all the best doctors from all over the world, grant it there are only about 5 good ones left and we found that your DNA needs a catalyst if we are to completely reverse effects on an infected subject." Olivia replied, trying to ignore Leon's steady eyes focused on her. She kept her voice as gentle as possible, praying for him to listen and be open to what they wanted.

Jake shook his head and looked down at the table where she laid out all the research and evidence of which she spoke, it really was of no interest to him "Well. Thanks for freeing me, Doc, but I need to go find out where my money went and how the fuck I can get out of here. Thanks for the lecture and fancy hotel room."

He turned and headed towards the hotel door and he could feel Leon stand behind him. Olivia stepped from around the table and advanced towards him.

"You're going to try to find her by yourself but it isn't going to work." She called to him before he could open the door.

Jake froze with his hand on the door knob.

"Okay you work alone, but I'm telling you that with the team Chris has assembled you will have more luck and time is of the essence. We don't know if she is in danger or not, or how long she will be alive. But as a member of the BSAA we have been and will continue to search for her and bring her home. 85 % of this planet—and the places she might be—is sanctioned off and you won't get in without some sort of clearance. Leon and I are one of the four agents enlisted to find her. We can help you and you can help us. After much research, I can ensure you I have reason to believe that the serum we seek is somewhere within a mix of Sherry's DNA…and yours." Olivia spoke swiftly but efficiently, hoping her truth reached him.

He did not move. But she still felt like she was losing him.

"You want money, I can give you whatever you want." Jake turned and faced her, she was only a few paces away from him. He took the opportunity to look into her brown-blueish eyes and saw nothing but hope. Just hope, something that he lacked and for a minute he washed himself in envy.

"I don't want your money, Doc."

"Then what is it that you want? It must be to find Sherry Birkin, she's still your partner right?"

He didn't answer.

Olivia was losing patience now, she usually was very giving, but the past mission of retrieving Jake took so much out of her and she was ready to hit the sheets. Breaking his stubbornness was taking more than she thought. She put a hand over her heart and exhaled.

"I gave you a great reason to cooperate with us. Your genetics is one half to saving the world. I put my theory on my own life. Besides the fact that this operation is bigger than all of us, think about Sherry. She saved your life and I think it's time you returned the favor. Whoever has her is either upset at her findings upon rescuing you or they validate that my theory is true. I would never leave my partner behind. If I found out he was captive, I would go through hell to find him. That's integrity and Sherry Birkin didn't call you 'the best partner ever' for nothing. I don't believe that. So show us, show me. We haven't been having extreme luck in completing this mission, but hopefully with you on our side, that can change."

Leon stared at her back and a small smile found its way to his lips. He could see Jake Muller's body language change and soften. He was happy she chose to leave out the fact that he was as wanted as Sherry was and if they kept him in sight, it would ensure the bad guys did not get ahead.

"Sherry's the only one who believed I was good." He said lowly after a minute of silence.

Olivia smiled, feeling triumphant "I believe it too, that's why we came all the way down here to find you. Sherry is a good person and I trust her judgement. Your offensive skill will aid us tremendously and allow us to cover more ground, Jake. We would be very grateful if you joined us in our next move to search for her."

"Do you have any idea of where she might be?"

Olivia stepped aside, putting her hand out to Leon who opened the Macbook pro that lit up with maps and reports laid out on the desk top. There were photos and recordings. Jake noticed a picture of Sherry laying in a hospital bed, pale and pristine. Still beautiful.

"Everything that we have gathered since she dropped off her report to headquarters concerning the rescue is all on that table. Read and connect whatever dots you need to. We leave in eight hours back to North America. We need to unload the files we gathered here before heading out again. I will work on locating your account from the US with that money you were promised. You can occupy this room and we'll be right next door."

She looked to Leon who was texting away on his phone and he gave a thumbs up without looking at them. Jake nodded and ran his finger over the picture, while they headed towards the door "What's the probability that she's still alive?"

"There's a very great chance. Sherry, like yourself, has gifts. She's a weapon, if anything else. Which I'm sure you know about." Leon responded.

Jake had a flashback of her body healing right in front of him. Liv saw his mind reaching and smiled.

"They won't kill her. We all want the same thing, you see, and I think they know that we have discovered the secret to stopping all this. And now that we have you, we know we are one step ahead of them not stopping us." The small woman besides Leon followed up. There seemed to be such confidence and peace between them both, and a side to Leon, Jake never saw. They seemed not only calm but positive as well. Jake concluded that by siding with the 'good guys' once again might be the only way to progress. And to reunite with his partner. And to feel whole again.

The two began to retreat again before Jake stopped them "Doc, you're pretty smart. I hope you're not wasting my time about this."

"I'm not. And hey, if it turns out I am, I'll let you shoot me yourself." She said lightly, earning a glare from Leon, who guarded her like a hawk. Joke or no joke, he didn't find it funny.

Jake smirked "Can't wait." He enjoyed the look he got from Leon next.

"If you choose to stay with us, I will guarantee you will see your partner again. I can also assure you will not end up in a hole again. I'll take some blood from you in the morning, everything's already set up… good night, Jake." The Doctor concluded. Leon placed a gun on the coffee table for him and they left the room, leaving Jake to his thoughts. His fingers traced Sherry Birkin's picture and then he sat down to begin reading everything Olivia left went through so much for him. He had a feeling he would spend the rest of his life repaying her, and no sum of money negotiated would be enough to suffice.

Now dressed in more comfortable clothing, Leon and Liv sat in the hotel room next door cleaning their weapons and getting ready for their departure. The silence between them was always comfortable. There were always subtle looks and smiles but nothing more than fatigue looming in the air above them.

"That went better than I expected, Doc." Leon teased gently, sitting back once they were done.

"Yes. He is a tough one," Liv responded, grabbing another laptop "I'm happy we were successful. Now all I have to do is try to get a hold of Jake's money."

"I'll handle it. Don't you think you should get some sleep?"

She looked up, her eyes wide. His voice seemed so concerned. Was he pleading with her? After losing her parents and big brother, she was not accustomed to anyone being worried about her. Being Leon Kennedy's partner was to an extent overwhelming at time due to his natural heroic swagger. Liv did not understand it but she remained as polite as possible, her journey as a soldier and BSAA agent allowed her to meet many different characters. Chris Redfield insisted they be paired together because of the wealthy bounty on her head but these days it seemed more organic that they remain together if anything. Leon was growing on her.

"Maybe. But there is so much to do."

"You do enough."

She set her laptop back down slowly.

"Get rest. I'll keep guard." He continued, tossing a blanket her way. She caught it and laid back on the couch, loosening her ribbon letting her hair fall over her shoulders. His request seemed more of a command than a suggestion.

"Good night." She whispered gently, watching as he picked her chrome sniper rifle up from the side of the couch and laid it across the coffee table.

Leon smiled and pretended to be reading something on his tablet until she fell unconscious. After a few minutes, he took the opportunity to gaze at her and the peace that consumed her. It was half admiration, the other half envy.


	6. Chicago

_**Hey everyone! I had to take a break for a while. I just closed a big show and had little time on my hands outside of my work. However, I wrote a lot on my free time. After re-playing some of Resident Evil 2(for free thanks to PSN) and watching a new president become elected, I have yet again come up with a twist to my story. Totally looking forward to working my new ideas in. Please enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think! Thank you for reading.**_

_Absence sharpens love, presence strengthens it._

— _Benjamin Franklin_

7: CHICAGO

The morning after came slowly and Jake hardly wanted to pull himself out of the bed. After spending six months sleeping on concrete, the hotel was like he had died and gone to heaven,

Jake had not spoken a word to either Leon or Olivia for the entire helicopter ride from Mongolia to the United States. There was so much on his mind from Sherry to how much it sucked being in a hole for six months without sunlight, food or drink. He was however very amused by the fact that the Doctor who was also a soldier, knew how to fly a helicopter and in between his racing thoughts, he brainstormed a nickname for her. Giving women nicknames was a pastime hobby for him. His favorite was 'Supergirl' the perfect name for Sherry Birkin.

At the thought of her, his stomach flipped. All he knew is that he missed her. Terribly. And without her he was always uneasy.

Leon sat up front with his partner and over headset he could hear the government agent make small talk with the doctor, it was very evident that he liked her. She kept her answers short and sweet, obviously trying to stay focused on getting there safely. A few times Jake would hear a beeping and a foreign voice asking for their identification. Leon always responded and gave them some code number and his name, associated with the United States Government.

"One day, I'll be able to speak and say my real name like the old days." Olivia commented and Jake turned from his view of the clouds to see her smile reflected sadly from the pilot seat. He frowned and wondered why she couldn't if she was so damn important and official.

They landed gracefully on a deserted helipad and hopped out. Leon and Olivia each pulled out a duffel bag and Leon helped her with a large rectangular gunmetal colored case almost as big as her petite body. It had a Hello Kitty decal on it which he thought was odd.

"What's that, Doc?" Jake asked, following them to the rooftop's elevator, they moved swiftly obviously wasting no time. Olivia, who seemed to forget Jake was even with them turned and handed him the case with a thankful look. He took it but winced upon feeling how heavy it was.

She patted the case while he was getting used to carrying it. "It's my prized CheyTac rifle. Over 100 kills with this one. I never miss." There was incredible pride in her voice. Her partner smiled at her and gave a little laugh, although the Doctor's voice was nothing but serious. She wore a fitted dark green BSAA uniform like the one she had one when they rescued him, her combat boots hitting the ground with a quicker rhythm then the taller men.

"She has the most kills in the history of Europe." Leon added over his shoulder with a cigarette between his lips, he was wearing aviators, a V-neck white tee and stonewashed jeans. Jake's brow raised, for someone so in shape and active, he found it unbelievable how much Leon smoked. Olivia seemed not to mind.

They entered an elevator and it proceeded to the ground floor. They stepped out to a parking deck with only a few cars in sight. Leon pulled out some keys and clicked the alarm around before a truck went sounded off. They walked over to a sleek Black Range Rover and he tossed it to Olivia who hopped in the driver's seat while he packed their bags in the trunk.

"Who's ride?" Jake asked hopping in the back seat, he also wanted to know why Olivia was the only one allowed to drive.

"Leon's." Olivia responded happily, revving the engine. She seemed to like the truck. He got in, his cigarette already lit and she pulled off.

"Why isn't he driving then?" Jake challenged.

Olivia laughed in amusement "He's my bodyguard. I can't have him watching my back if he's too busy paying attention to the road." Leon laughed and tapped his handgun against the dashboard. They exited the parking lot and entered an almost deserted highway, Olivia pushing 80 mph immediately.

"Don't listen to her. She likes being in control. Like most women"

Jake ignored him. "Where are we?" He asked, looking out at the desolate scenery. There were no other cars on the road, the signs were gone and the Doctor was driving like a mad woman.

"Chicago. The outskirts are uninhabitable now. We are headed to the contained portion which has been made into a sanctum of sorts, you'll see." Olivia responded, turning on the GPS so he could see the map they were on the screen.

Leon tossed his cigarette out the window "What's up with the 21 questions? I feel like we're being interrogated."

"Leon—"Olivia reprimanded.

"What would you be doing if you were locked in a hole in Mongolia for six months?" Jake snapped angrily. Olivia shook her head and took off the beret she wore, tossing in the empty place behind her next to Jake.

"I'd be a lot more careful next time." Leon hissed, glaring out the window.

"Leon. Cool it," Olivia warned before smiling at Jake through her rearview mirror "Jake don't listen to him, you may ask me all the questions you need to. If I cannot answer it, chances are slim for that, I will make sure I research someone or something that can. Speaking of holes, let's get to know each other better. Do you drink, smoke?"

Jake decided to let go of Leon's asshole remark and look back at the Doctor's smile. Her kindness reminded him of Sherry "I drink. And cigarettes bother me." Leon rolled his eyes.

Olivia smirked and instructed him to lift the middle seat, revealing a mini fridge of some sort built into the seat filled with beer, a bottle of vodka and a few soda cans and water bottles.

"The bottle of cranberry juice is mine, could you pass it to me please? You can drink whatever you want. Pass Leon a Michelob before he has an aneurism. We have three hours until our destination and nightfall so we need to chill out and play nice, boys." Olivia sang, trying to remain as optimistic as possible. To be honest, every limb in her body ached and her eyes burned. This mission was such a sacrifice, and they had been through so much just to get Jake Muller.

Jake did as he was asked and opened a beer for himself before a very familiar and potent smell filled the air. Leon muttered something to his partner and she high fived him before he produced a cup and mixed her a drink quickly with the juice and vodka.

"Is that…?"

"Our reward.." Leon finished for him, sparking the joint that appeared from thin air it seemed and opened the sunroof a bit. It was one of the things he and his partner had in common. A habit he picked up from a teenager trying to fit in and discontinued to take his police exam. He resumed as soon as Raccoon City happened and was exempt from a drug test upon becoming a special agent for the White House. They never asked for anything more than a physical. Olivia on the other hand always found some scientific way around drug testing for the army. It was good however that they didn't have to report to anyone or be tested anymore.

"I haven't smelled that in such a long time. I thought drugs were extinct through all of this," Jake remarked "Weed at least. You're a bad influence."

Leon gave Olivia a look and she shook her head again "Drugs will never go away. Weed is harmless and helps us relax. Would you like some?" She flicked her wrist backward to pass him the smoking joint and he wrinkled his nose.

"I'll pass." It must have been the youthfulness in her. He didn't understand what Leon's deal was.

Leon shrugged and Liv giggled before taking a pull and exhaling, allowing her fingers to strum on the steering wheel, thankful for the joint. Fatigue was not the word to describe exactly how tired she was. Leon smiled at her and turned on the satellite radio to some classic rock station, they both found a song they recognized and sang along.

Jake rolled his eyes and stared out the window feeling sleep overtake him gratefully.

"Jake!... Jake!" Olivia called to the sleeping mercenary, rousing him from his dreams. Jake opened and eye and peered through the window at the falling sun and an oversized metal wall that resembled the Great Wall of China. He must've caught contact or was incredibly tired.

The wall was simply remarkable and the Doctor was driving up to it as if she aimed to smash Leon's truck into it. Leon sat forward, a hand on the dashboard and peering ahead. His aviators were gone.

She was racing the sun.

"What? I'm up!" He groaned, sitting up straight. Leon tossed a large black quilt back to him, roughly, and Jake growled but Olivia began to instruct him before he could verbally react.

"Cover yourself with that and get as low as possible. Pull my sniper case from the back and lay it on top you. We need to reach the gates before the sun falls because that's curfew for entering Chicago's asylum and when all the freaks come out to play. Don't move, please. We don't have proper paperwork for you and we can't afford for you to be discovered." She spoke quickly, slowing down.

He did as she said without question and lowered the heavy case on top of his body, relaxing his nerves. Usually, nervousness never racked his body but right then he felt caution surge through his body.

"All good?" Leon asked, his voice laced with amusement.

Jake ignored it "Yeah."

Leon nodded to Olivia and she stopped the car "Jake, you're going to be just fine. We'll get this over with as soon as possible."

"I believe you, Doc."

She unlocked her seatbelt as Leon followed and they climbed over each other to switch seats, without getting out of the car. They knew the camera watched everything up ahead and would be suspicious of their arrival if they saw their action. Leon offered her his hand and she took it, letting him pull her over gently. Liv blushed when his hip accidentally brushed against her ass but slithered her body into the passenger's seat quickly and opened the glove compartment where her fake ID and Leon's real one was laying safely. Leon shifted into drive, his face also pink from brushing against her body against his.

"Seatbelt." He reminded her and didn't pull off until he heard the click.

Leon slowed as he went over a speed bump and clicked on his high beams. They reached an overpass facing the steel wall and a uniformed, armored soldier exited with an AK-47. Leon lowered his window and immediately handed over both of their passports and his government ID. The soldier saluted him.

"Mr. Kennedy, welcome back to the United States. We were alerted that you would be coming," He glanced at Olivia's ID and then at her "With a guest?"

"Grace Brown," Leon said with a grin "But she's a Kennedy now. I just came back from Mongolia, newly married."

Olivia giggled dumbly and flashed her ring finger.

"Why Mongolia? Why not America?" The soldier pouted, making Leon frown.

"She's half Mongolian, give me a break."

The soldier gave him a confused look and flashed his mag light on the back seat briefly before looking off into the distance, as if he heard something. He returned their IDs and saluted the brunette before re-entering the booth. The truck itself began to descend underground and stopped once it reached a long tunnel like highway. It was then Leon and Liv begun to laugh.

"The coast is clear, Jake." Leon called to him. Jake uncovered himself and restored himself to the leather seat, taking a deep breath. Olivia took her ring off her marriage finger and slipped it back on her right hand. She stretched out her finger and eyed the large green diamond as the two discussed their play on the poor soldier, Jake looked out the window at the flashing lights. Leon's truck sped out of the tunnel and into the city streets.

They drove for another hour before hitting the outskirts which all had big houses and trees, wide open spaces. It was nightfall when they finally drove into a long driveway and parked before the large three story house and a sleek black hummer. There was also a grey mustang and a few other expensive looking cars parked in the oversized driveway as well. Leon shut off the engine and Liv turned to Jake, who watched her intently.

"We're here. Headquarters." She said softly, giving him a gentle smile. They all got out and gathered their things, Leon grabbed the bottle of vodka and stuffed it under his arm.

"Who lives here?" Jake asked, not following them.

"An old friend. You're safe." Leon assured, not stopping. He was sick of Jake's questions and was looking forward to a hot shower and a long night of drinking. As he stepped closer he could smell grilled food, his stomach roared. He gathered his fist and knocked at the door, immediately hearing dogs barking and the light inside turn on. Olivia had turned to face Jake, who folded his arms and refused to move. The door swung open and Leon met the man who rivaled him in size. He laughed and offered Leon his hand.

"Jill! They're here," Chris Redfield shouted behind him "You guys had us worried."

Jake's eyes widened seeing Sherry's old friend at the door in regular clothes beaming at Leon "What the fuck?"

"Yeah, well our objective was being difficult. If it wasn't For Livy's charm, I don't know what I would have done." Leon replied, stepping inside with their bags while Chris stepped out onto the dimly lit porch to observe Jake Muller and Liv who eyed him cautiously. Leon smiled as Jill ran into view and hopped into his arms. He laughed and squeezed her friendly as she assaulted him with questions about their whereabouts.

"Jake, let's go." Liv chided gently, but he was looking at Chris.

"Why did you bring me here, Doc?"

Liv opened her mouth to answer but Chris who was now behind her spoke up "Because we are a family and this is our headquarters. My home. I'm the head of the BSAA now and this is the safest place for the operation of getting Sherry back. Frankly, it's the best place for you to be."

Family? Jake didn't feel like he belonged.

"You're part of Sherry, so you're part of us." Liv added, her patience was incredible. Jake considered her eyes and got that peaceful feeling again. He raised his hands in defeat. It was like she had magic powers or something.

"If it means we get to work on finding her..." he mumbled. Chris nodded.

"Of course. We have some good news, food and more than enough room for you to make yourself at home. I am relieved they were able to retrieve you, but then again, I never doubted their ability." Chris said, before pulling Liv into a tight hug and surveying her for damage. She smiled and embraced him back, letting him know she was perfectly fine, but famished.

Her older brother, Victor, was one of his best friends and comrades and when he passed away he immediately felt like a need to look out for the doctor, who was still in medical school at the time. They remained in contact and Chris quickly took his best friend's place in spirit to be there for Olivia. He begged her to leave the Army in Europe and come to help the BSAA and the rest was history. He always saw himself as having two sisters, and not one, and trusted them both the same. There were so many pieces to stabilizing the war on Bioterrorism and it seemed like the more puzzles they solved were the more pieces that surfaced. New enemy groups surfaced, looking to capitalize on the strength of the B.O.W.s and they had managed to terminate some BSAA bases and leaders, forcing Chris to take a stand as a leader on a larger scale. He took some personal time to see Jill back to health and only resumed with organization when she was close to normal. She even was strong and able enough to help him now.

Chris called on all the people he called 'friend' and utilized his parent's house to serve as base. If he was going to stop this once and for all he was going to need the help of every skilled person he knew, and thankfully they all obliged. And here he was. He turned his parent's house into a lab, shelter and database where he could track and put together every puzzle piece, Jake and Sherry being an essential part to the equation. Jill aided him to become a lot more compassionate, and he was trying to be as kind as possible to Jake. Through the Doctor's research, he understood that without him, there was no antidote to the viruses that plagued earth, so he had no choice.

Liv released Chris and reached for Jake's arm, linking it with hers "C'mon, let's go eat."

Jake blushed slightly at the contact but allowed her to pull him inside into the warmth and Chris followed behind. There was a huge staircase on the left and to the right a larger dining room and a steep hallway in front of them. Hunting rifles, picture frames and artwork hugged each crevice of every wall and Jake smelled food and the honeysuckle in the air. Two large huskies jogged around the house and barked happily and a grey, blue nosed pit bull came racing in their direction. Jake tensed slightly as it jumped and Olivia caught the large animal, laughing.

"Peyton! I missed you buddy. Meet, Jake. Jake, this is Peyton, my child of sorts."

Jake frowned "He's way too big to be a child." Olivia shot him a look and dropped to the floor slightly so she could cuddle her pet.

"I think Leon took your bags up, Livy, meet us in the backyard." Chris called as he locked up the front door. Liv pulled Jake through the house, past the oversized kitchen and out the backdoor where there was a large wicker dining table lined with Tiki lights. Jake didn't believe he had ever been in a house this big, but it felt weird to him that he had been welcomed so easily. There was a patio, where Leon was heating up food and gulping down a beer, a bonfire off in the distance where a tall man stood and two women at the table, fixing plates. They both beamed at the appearance of the Doctor on his arm and immediately dashed towards her.

Liv let go of Jake and embraced the brunette with the short cut happily and they both laughed.

"I am so happy you're back!" She exclaimed, pulling back to look at the Doctor at arm's length. "You look well."

"Yup. No harm done." Liv responded before embracing the striking blonde next to her.

"We were so worried, what happened to your phone? And Leon's? " the woman asked, when Liv pulled back gently he noticed a small lump in her stomach.

"I don't think we researched the data coverage in Mongolia very well, so we did not have service for most of the time." Liv responded, putting a hand on the blonde's stomach affectionately rubbing the circular shape of her baby bump. She turned to Jake who was awkwardly standing there looking around.

"Jake Muller meet Chambers, my partner in medical crime," She joked, pointing out the brunette in overalls "and Jill Valentine, Chris' wife. Both veterans to Virus outbreaks and kick ass women."

He shook hands with them both briefly and they both seemed equally as warm as Liv, and Sherry, it was amazing despite all the horrors they had undoubtedly faced that they were so cheerful. He absolutely felt more comfortable around the women of the group then the men. It was probably because he assumed they all hated him because of their rivalry with his father.

"Are all the Doctors you know young as fuck?" Jake asked Liv discreetly as they all reconvened around the table.

Liv passed him a beer and took one for herself "Rebecca is actually older than me."

"Jake Muller is as flattering as Sherry suggested, don't you dare share my actual age," Rebecca commented before looking over her shoulder and calling to the man by the fire "Babe, come on! They're here, time to eat!"

Jill made everyone's plate after retrieving the hot grilled food from Leon and Rebecca introduced her boyfriend, Billy Coen, to Jake. He didn't say much but gave him a firm handshake, one to Leon and a pat on the back, and kissed Liv on the back of the head before sitting with Rebecca. Leon joined them as well after shutting down the grill and sitting next to Liv. She eyed a red cup he had and he offered it to her, laughing at her reaction once she tasted it. Everyone began talking busily about everything and anything as Jake's mind raced from all the laughs. Rebecca and Jill were going back and forth about something that widely humored the rest of the party. When was the last time he was around so many people, let alone those not undead? He didn't have any living family or friends besides Sherry that he knew of and this type of comradery made him feel uncomfortable.

"Jake, aren't you hungry? This food is delicious!" Olivia said to him after digesting what she had in her mouth, Leon was speaking to her but she couldn't help but noticed his discomfort. Her fingers covered her lips and she nodded at him in encouragement. Jake looked down at his cheeseburger, salad, BBQ chicken and corn on the cob and back up at her. It looked delicious.

"Sorry, Doc, I was out of it. It's been a long day." Jake responded before attacking his food.

"Well at least get something down. And you can pass out whenever." Olivia responded, almost in a motherly tone. She fed her dog who was still tied to her side.

Leon slid him another cup cynically "And drink this. It's my secret recipe." Jake side-eyed him but took a sip regardless. It was mostly vodka.

Chris laced his fingers and created a cradle for his chin "We appreciate you helping Leon and Olivia. But we can imagine how tired you three must be. We'll all get together and talk in the morning, and tell you everything you need to know, but for now, no pressure. You can take Sherry's room for now, I don't think she'd mind."

"She'd want that if she were here." Jill assured her husband, hands rubbing her stomach lovingly.

Jake nodded at him and continued to eat.

"Everyone has their own room here?" Jake asked as Leon escorted him to the second floor and down a long hallway. He was stuffed and buzzed and wanted nothing more but to pass out. It was possibly the best dinner he had ever had in his life, and it was free.

Leon nodded, a red cup still in his hand, by this time he reeked of liquor "Yup."

He stopped at a door at the end of the hallway and took a key out of his pocket, unlocking the door and passing the key to Jake before shoving the door open and entering. Jake felt butterflies in his stomach as he looked around, it smelled just like her. It was a simple room, a full-sized bed with mint green sheets and a canopy, a vanity with little hair things, a dresser with a TV on top, a full-sized mirror, and a closet. There was a chest against the foot of the bed but otherwise the room was very sparse. There were a lot of books lying around and on her dresser, was a picture of Sherry, Chris, Jill, Olivia, Leon, and two others he did not know sitting around a dinner table and laughing. She looked so happy and everyone was dressed up. Leon crossed the room to open a door, pointing out the private bathroom.

It was just like her. And made him feel closer.

"If you get hot or cold this room has its own thermostat on the TV remote so knock yourself out. We'll be out back if you need anything, my room is on the second floor fourth door on the left from the staircase if it gets later. It's a navy-blue door. Make yourself at home. I'm going to finish getting shitfaced." Leon said with a smile. He folded his arms and watched as Jake took in the place.

"Do all the rooms look like this?"

"Yeah, this place was built to be an orphanage. The Redfield's parents used to take in children whose families died from the armed forces." Leon responded, turning his cup upside down as if he couldn't believe it was done. He was on his third one.

"Pretty fancy for a bunch of orphans."

Leon opened the door "Yeah. Some kids get all the luck…Good night, see you at breakfast." And with that he was gone.

Jake slid his shirt off and then his boots and eyed the fresh towels at the foot of the bed. He grabbed the set and headed towards the bathroom.

_All I'm missing is you now, Supergirl. _

"So we're not going to go after her?!" Liv exclaimed to Chris as Leon returned to the table where everyone was sitting. Jill had gone to bed so Leon took the opportunity to light up a cigarette. She was standing with both palms against the wicker surface, almost glaring at Chris.

"Sherry is our priority now that we officially have Jake we have to use this time to get her location down once and for all," Chris responded calmly, a hint of sadness in his voice "Claire has made it clear she doesn't want to be helped or to be found. She wants to work alone and has refused our help. I know better than to go against my sister's wishes…I just wish I knew what was going through her head."

"It shouldn't matter…she could be in trouble!"

"It does, considering we don't have many of us in on this operation of ours. We are already overworking you and Leon, she knows that and doesn't seem to find it a priority. Besides, if she was in trouble, I have a feeling she'd reach out to one of us to dig her out. As usual." Chris sighed calmly. It was obvious him and the other Redfield were not at friendly terms. He didn't appreciate that she went against what he advised of her as it related to finding Steve.

"I don't know…It just doesn't seem right." Liv responded with a frown, looking at her nails to avoid the anger she felt. She knew information Chris didn't and told Claire many times she could not run forever. The redhead promised her many times she would come home but that was ages ago it seemed. Leon handed her a small bag, hinting that she should take the opportunity to smoke her discomfort away, earning an eye roll from Chris. Leon looked down, there was another joint inside. He grinned at her but she didn't return it, feeling guilty for withholding information.

Leon rolled his eyes and plopped down besides his partner, making himself another drink. He wasn't happy with Claire either. She had been gone for a year now and the only thing they did know is that she would not be back until she had Steve's remains or his clone and did not want help. To an extent, he deemed her selfish, but he also understood. She was in love and could not believe that she was not in control of her fate. Rebecca and Liv were everyone's trump cards when it came to health. They could restore life and make everything okay and Claire knew that if she could only get Steve to them, apart or in pieces, the girls could do something to fix him. Although Olivia was not sure where Claire was now, she knew it was only a matter of time before she was back.

"She's being selfish. I just hope she doesn't get herself in a bad situation that we have to pull her out of." Leon spoke to the table, and surprisingly Chris nodded in agreement.

"Let's hope it doesn't get to that."

"There are so many things that aren't right, right now." Rebecca commented sadly as Billy rubbed her back. She was seated on his lap while he nursed a bottle of beer. She missed Claire as well but she understood who the woman was and she was unapologetic in every sense of the word.

"But there are a lot of things that are…Sherry," Chris continued, as if trying to convince himself of the goal and get his mind off his sister "Is our priority. We can't move forward without her. We'll go over the specifics tomorrow but we've narrowed her location down to three possible places left to search. Once we find her, we'll wrangle my sister."

"And we're on the search and rescue team?" Leon asked, pointing to himself and his partner.

"And Jake. And an alpha squad for back up and extraction." Chris responded. Leon and Liv both nodded.

"Let's hope they make it this time." Leon muttered, earning a jab from his partner.

Chris stood and looked at his team, shooting Leon a quick look before smiling "We're close. I can feel it. I'm going to check on Jill. We'll meet in the morning. Billy's on guard for tonight. Livi, Leon, get some sleep. Great work out there."

Billy, Chris, Leon and Liv stood and they all saluted each other with a smile.

Leon went against the Captain's orders, as tired as he was he could not sleep. He moved on to a bottle of whiskey and took to the roof of the house by way of the fire escape to look up at the night's sky and chain smoke. Liv had discovered him out there and joined him, armed with some brownies Jill made earlier and they sat side by side, talking. He made her laugh a lot, telling her of days at the new police academy after the Racoon City incident and she told him of stories in the Army. She was of course the opposite, always excelling in every mission but that was because as opposed to Leon, she never had much of a social life. Her immeasurable skill as a sniper and reputation from her older brother always isolated her and the loss of her parents silenced her so she never truly made any life-long friends. Chris and Clair were some of the only people she truly opened up to, and upon meeting Leon and the gang, she blossomed.

"Are we going to watch the sunrise? And where'd you get the whiskey?" She asked after taking a swig from the bottle. Her body swayed involuntarily under Leon's jacket he gave her to combat the nocturnal breeze and leaned against his broad shoulder. He shrugged gently and tossed the cigarette he just finished off the roof.

"Perhaps. I guess it's all the alcohol. We'll pay for it in the morning. Stole it from Billy when he wasn't looking."

"I cannot sleep. Chris says we won't leave until tomorrow evening, which is a relief. At least we will have some help this time."

Leon side-eyed her "We don't need it."

They were both heavily intoxicated, and it was moments like these he wished Olivia knew him in a more sensual light. It made him want to know if she found him attractive. Of course, she was always gracious enough to pay attention to details and voice her opinion whenever he shaved, got new shoes, trimmed his hair, or wore a color that peaked her interest. But his heart swelled more and more for her, and less and less for his unwanted love for the spy who never could stay in place long enough for him to hold her. He couldn't help but compare Liv to her, and to every other one night stand he had in his past, and he felt so sorry each time he did. It stayed in his mind and he never ever thought to say a word of it out loud.

Liv basked in the silence of the air, closing her eyes and listening to her own heartbeat. She had no idea what Leon felt towards her. Sure, any regular woman would never have their thighs glued together any time they were in quarter mile radius of , but Liv wasn't regular at all. Even though she was 27, she still had her innocence and never felt carnal feelings of any type of intimacy. Her life was all intellectual, academia, war and fighting terrorism. Sometimes she felt a tiny tingle in her gut when Leon looked her in the eyes for a long time, or if they accidently brushed against each other but that was it. Sometimes she felt pathetic. She could picture herself at an altar in a flowing white dress before she could picture herself underneath a man feeling her insides filled to the brim, let alone imagine it. That physical part of her just felt dead, or better yet, unborn.

"Leon?"

"Yeah?" He was ten years older than her but didn't look a day over 25. She peered at him.

"Have you had many girlfriends? What's it like?"

Leon smiled at her. He forgot that she had been sheltered on an Army base with nothing more than a sniper rifle, her pit bull Peyton and a microscope. Poor girl didn't have many friends, so he imagined she never had a boyfriend either. It was much harder for a guy to go without a female than it was vice versa he thought, but it made him admire her even more. She had never been touched, or tainted.

"Honestly, yes. More than I can count. But I can't remember them all which means they weren't that special," Leon replied, making her laugh again "The older I got was the more selective I became. It's like paying a bill. For men, at least. Most girls stop being your friend once they become your girlfriend."

"That doesn't sound like fun." She replied innocently.

"Yeah, you're not missing out on much."

Silence filled the air again, and Liv closed her eyes again. Leon took the opportunity to look at her, hoping she didn't open her eyes and catch him staring. Her thick, dark hair was down and framed her face and body in the sexiest way he had ever seen. The arch of her neck made his throat dry, just the sight of her made his heart sink in a different way than what the liquor was doing.

He noticed a red dot on her olive skin, it was bold and danced slightly along her collarbone and back to her jawline. His eyes widened and what happened next was instant and jarring.

Leon grabbed her arm and pulled her back as the gunshot of the rifle pierced the air, pulling Olivia as far away from the red dot as possible. He threw his body on top of her, she collapsed into his arms and he grabbed her tightly, getting flat against the roof as possible, blood searing from her neck.

She choked and he put a hand over her neck and moved their bodies towards the fire escape. She didn't scream, but instead gasped for air. His other hand clasped her skull, searching for where the bullet pierced her.

"Liv! Hold on!" He exclaimed, hearing gunshots from the front of the house.

"I'm on it!" Leon heard Billy yell, letting off shots and running into the woods across from the house. The dogs barked and he heard voices and movement from the house, everyone waking up and undoubtedly springing into action.

His hands shook as he pressed it over her wound but she was clawing at his broad biceps.

"It only grazed my neck! L-Leon go!" she hissed, and he knew what she meant. He nodded and removed his hand, helping her through the window. He pulled his gun out from the holster behind his back and hung off the fire escape, sliding down the railing and to the floor. As quickly as he could he raced into the depths of the woods after Billy to track down where the shot had come from.

Rebecca burst into Leon's room with a handgun, where Liv had ripped a piece of a bed sheet angrily and tied it around her neck to apply pressure and stop the bleeding. Her hands shook as Rebecca looked at her in the mirror.

"Livy?!"

"I'm fine, stay with Jill, and make sure she's okay!" Liv demanded in disarray. Someone had the nerve to follow her, there was no doubt about it. Rebecca nodded and ran out and Liv followed her, racing to the other end of the hallway where her room was. She entered and found the chrome case leaning up against the dresser, unlocking the latches she yanked out her prized sniper rifle and took to the roof on the third floor, her anger pulsing through her veins. No sniper would make her shed blood without her repaying the same courtesy back.

From the top of the building she could see the overlay of the forest and traces of where Billy and Leon had travelled off, she noticed a black van to the left of the house and immediately got down on her stomach to station herself. Angry tears peaked from her eyelids and she instantly became sober, her hair sheltering her against the brisk air.

"Doc!" Jake called from behind her, he had a handgun in his hand and had followed her. He wasn't just about to let his savior die like that, especially since she cared so much about his well-being. If something happened to her, he had a feeling that finding Sherry might become harder than it already was. But she seemed fine, and didn't answer him. Her bloody fingers adjusted her scope and she peered through it.

"Fish them out!," She screamed to whichever one of her allies could hear. There was barking, gunshots, "I'm going to have each of your heads on a fucking platter!"

Jake froze, he didn't know Olivia for long but her voice had grown darker, deeper and way more cynical. She took a breath and fired at both visible tires of the foreign van and let off two more shots before the entire vehicle combusted into flames. The sound of the sniper rifle pierced the sky and echoed into the night's air. Two bodies spread from behind it in all black, dissolving into the darkness, running quickly and with two more quick shots, their bodies dropped like leaves.

Jake's eyes widened, she was remarkable.

Her body shifted on the ground and she adjusted the large barrel back to the trees where it was now quiet. Chris emerged from the trees with a shotgun and looked up to them before signaling behind him and hoisting the gun over his shoulder. He had one of his two large huskies with him, which he bent to pat affectionately. Liv nodded. Billy was next, raking a hand through his hair and shaking his head in disgust and then Leon. He made eye contact with her before retreating closer to the house. Leon made a slight gesture with his hand making Liv smirk. Jake observed how at ease they all seemed, like they knew for sure everyone was dead.

"One down, Olivia, not the sniper." Leon called out, his voice laced with code. Jake's eyes widened, why would Leon direct attention towards her?

Liv's body relaxed and she breathed in and out gently, coaching her diaphragm to relax. It seemed like everyone was waiting for something.

"Jake…" she whispered gently.

"Doc?"

"Get down, quickly."

He followed as she commanded and as soon as he did there was an explosion in the area before them. Leon, Billy and Chris all readied their weapons before the staggering red dot found Leon's forehead. He didn't even move, the enemy sniper had shown himself and that was all his partner needed. He smiled, trusting his partner with his life, he knew that she would shoot before their oppressor could.

"Fuck you." She murmured before aiming instinctively, mirroring the angle of the laser and firing without hesitation, the sound of something heavy falling from and through trees followed.

Chris' other husky ran from the trees and hopped around his legs "Jefferson says 'Target destroyed'."

As Chris and Leon headed into the forest to retrieve the assassin, Olivia rolled over and stared up at the moon, a hand going against the cloth that was tied tightly around her wound, Jake could swear he saw tears fall from her cheek.

"Who was that?" he asked as she got up and dismantled her gun.

"I'll explain later." He noted her voice had not gone back to its original sweet ring. Her head was down and she curled her weapon in her arms protectively.

They climbed back through the window and travelled down to the first floor where Rebecca and Jill were sitting in the kitchen. Both of their eyes lit up when they saw Liv.

"Billy is scouting the perimeter, Liv, are you all right?" Rebecca asked worriedly.

The younger doctor nodded "I'm fine, thanks." She leaned her heavy rifle against the fireplace before exiting out the front door and into the woods after the guys, a Maglite and handgun in hand. Jake shared a look at the two women and then ran after her, anxious to know what was going on. It seemed like she was murmuring to herself, chastising and cursing herself as she trekked through the branches.

"Liv?" Chris called and a light danced over her face.

"Yeah." She responded as she reached them and shined her light over the body where Leon was hovered, rummaging through his pockets. A frown formed her lips as she glared at the burly man who tried to take their lives, blood oozing from his lips. She was proud however of where she hit him. Jake's eyes widened, there was a gunshot dead center of his forehead. What a perfect shot…

Chris bent down to look at her victim "Damn, girl. You got him right in the brain. That was what, 1000 meters out?"

"1300 meters." She corrected, as if it made no difference.

Leon fished through the man's jacket until he came upon a black card with a silver strip and braille writing in red "Yup. He was looking to get rich tonight. From his driver's license, he's from Russia. Poor guy."

"Didn't fully research why Olivia Revelle was at the top of the most wanted list, stamped as 'lethal' huh?" Chris joked in return. Leon shook his head and smiled at his partner, but she was frowning.

"Chris, I'm so sorry." She said sadly as Leon grabbed the man's rifle and his wrist, dragging him towards the house. Jake took the rifle off Leon's hand so he could focus on the body and Leon nodded at him in appreciation, he couldn't take his eyes off Liv, and his face seemed flushed with desperation.

Chris shook his head "No need to apologize."

"I'm attracting assassins all the way out here, where your wife and unborn child lives. Anything could have happened to any of us— "

"And we would have handled it, either way. Do not feel sorry. We are family and what did we do? We kept each other safe, Liv." He responded, cutting her off. She lowered her head and looked away. Leon dragged the body over to the van, still on fire and began fetching wood to add to it. Billy already gathered the other three bodies and laid them across the van's hood to catch flames.

"I'd rather they come to us, strength in numbers than try to attack one of us when we are not," Chris continued "I know the team I have assembled and how strong we are together. There's no humans that can compete, so stop apologizing…I'm going to check on the girls, Jefferson, Nixon, let's go."

He whistled at his huskies and they followed him inside. Liv sighed and walked over to Leon who had his shirt off now, trying to get as close to the flames as possible to dissipate the firewood. She tried to pick up some pieces to help her but he stopped her and grabbed her hands.

"You need to go to Rebecca and get cleaned up." He said softly, using a finger to lift her chin, surveying her for any more damage. Billy appeared and began picking up where Leon left off, feeding the fire.

Billy smiled at her "Go let Becca get you fixed up, Livy. We men got this bonfire taken care of."

Olivia smiled back at him but said nothing and allowed Leon to take her by the hand inside where Rebecca was waiting with her medical kit.

Jake found himself helping Billy out as they coached the fire so that all the bodies burned into ashes. Chris came outside with some beach chairs and a bottle of whiskey, opening one for himself and taking a seat. Billy set one up as well and took a seat beside him.

"Olivia is on the world's blacklist for most wanted casualties, dead or alive. She is number two out of forty-five. She's an international treasure that attracts hunters from all walks of life." Chris spoke to Jake, who he knew was still slightly confused.

"Why?"

"Well, because she's one of the last doctors left that specializes in biological warfare research. That woman devoted her life to seeking out every experiment and test sample that might lead us towards an anti-virus. If she succeeds, every corporation that seeks to destroy this planet is osculate. For the record she's getting really close. Which is why she's so obsessed with you and Sherry. The other component to her 3.6-billion-dollar bounty is the number of people she's killed for her country, and technically for the whole world." Chris replied, articulating every word. He seemed very proud of her.

3.6 Billion dollars… that was more money than Jake could ever dream of. Who wanted her dead that bad?

Billy whistled and echoed "3.6 Billion.."

"Who issued that much money on her head?" Jake asked, taking a seat beside them.

"A few corporations that banded together in hopes of stopping her, and BSAA's progression. I'm number 11 of 45 but everyone has eyes on the Doctor and my amount isn't even half of what they want her. She is wanted dead or alive, emphasis on the 'dead' word due to how notably lethal she is. That's why I have Kennedy stuck to her like glue. But as you've seen tonight, she is very capable of handling herself. There are a few BSAA members on that list."

Jake took another swig "That's a ridiculous amount of money. Looks like I was in the wrong business all my life."

"Bounty hunting isn't all that it's cracked up to be," Billy commented, gesturing towards the fire, "Especially since all the people you go after are on that list for a reason. It's a real gamble. Liv has done so much for all of us. There's no way we're letting her go."

"Are you on that list?" Jake asked him, Billy shook his head.

"Becca is number 14. So kinda, yeah."

Jake looked down and felt sadness. He understood where Billy was coming from.

Chris eyed Jake and sighed "Sherry was on that list."

"Was?"

"Immediately following the escape you two made from China. She appeared on the list under number four. The directions were for her capture, alive and harmless. And…someone got to her before we could discover it and warn her."

Jake stood up, feeling his anger rise tremendously, rivaling the flames before him.

"The viewers of that list are a major lead towards her capture," Chris exclaimed cautiously, standing and putting a hand on Jake's shoulder which he shrugged off "We'll explain everything in the morning but we are very close to finding her, we have a good lead."

"I hope you're right." Jake responded through gritted teeth. If they were wrong, he was leaving and venturing off to find her himself. He didn't know what he would do if he found out someone had assassinated Sherry Birkin. He wouldn't be able to stomach it. Chris was good at persuasion, same with the Doctor, but if they were wrong…he was going to hold both accountable.

Leon peeled back his partner's hot pink sheets, fluffed the pillows and sat in a chair next to Olivia's bed, waiting for her. She exited the bathroom in long sleeved red pajamas and crossed the room, sliding into her warm bed. Her hair was damp and tied on top of her head with her signature black satin ribbon. Rebecca issued her ten stitches and bandaged wrapped her neck.

"You sure you're alright?" he asked her, watching her intently. He had changed into some fresh white tee and black sweatpants "Can you breathe with that thing on?"

She laughed and nodded "You aren't planning on leaving me now, are you?"

"Never." Leon responded with a grin, patting his pistol laying on her nightstand. Olivia fluffed up both her pillows and lowered the sides of her canopy bed so no light would peak in. The sun would be rising soon.

"Lay next to me…please?"

The agent's eyes widened but then softened upon seeing the tiredness in her eyes, but she seemed over it on another level. She was a bit shaken up and did not want to be alone. He could imagine the pressure she felt being the person she was, if he was in her shoes he didn't know how he would manage. Leon smiled at her and climbed over her, leaning up against the headboard and pulling her into his arms, feeling her body mold and relax against his. He grabbed the gun and placed it on her pillow. Their eyes both closed, Olivia appreciated how good and safe he smelled, despite how nervous she was. She had never been so close to him, or any man in her bed. It made her think of how much of life she was really missing out on at her age and how quickly her life could be over.

Leon felt his shirt getting wet and look down to see Liv's eyes secreted tears making him sit up and pull her away at arm's length "Liv, what's wrong?" This scared him because he never saw her cry before.

"Thank you for saving me today. That was almost my head."

Leon touched her cheek, wiping away her tears "No worries. You've saved my ass a bunch of times. You did not know that was going to happen. That isn't your fault. You're doing what you feel is right by doing what's necessary to stop the outbreak using your skill. That's nothing to be sorry about."

But the tears kept coming and it made a part of his heart swell tremendously, he cared more for her than he wanted to admit presently and he never wanted to see her hurt. It seemed like the pressure was finally getting to her, she was after all in a place where she thought she was safe.

"I just want it to end. Soon, so everyone that's around me won't always have to be in danger."

"Danger? You're the main one, and yet you're worried about everyone else?" Leon asked in disbelief, this girl had a bigger heart sometimes than she knew what to do with.

"I just want it to end." She repeated, her eyes boring into his.

Leon shook his head "And it will. But until then, we keep fighting. And I will always have your back, and we will be okay. I promise. We've done so well so far; can't you see that?"

Olivia put a hand over his, still cupping her wet cheek, but looked down. He tilted her head back up and gently kissed her forehead, it was more than he had ever done to her but it felt right.

"You're more special than you realize, Olivia, and I won't let you lose it after we've come this far. You're going to be alright. We're going to be alright." He leaned back against the headboard and open his arm so she could lay against him. She smiled gently as he rubbed her hair and held her as carefully as he could.

She peeked up at him and squeezed him "Thank you, Leon."

"No problem, partner."

He smiled at her. He had not assassinated anyone since they have partnered together and that was because he felt guilty. Olivia already knew his secret but taking pleasure in murdering targets didn't make him feel any better about her being top of the list. Neither Olivia or Rebecca or Chris had any legit reason to be there in the first place, and he only went after bad guys. He found himself instead hurting the other hunters than signed on to retrieve her, using his access to the blacklist site to find information on the brave assassins. How these German men slipped through the cracks, he was unsure but the mission to rescue Jake might have had something to do with his distraction.


End file.
